Irish Republican Pogues rocker Shane MacGowan cried his eyes out as Diana, the Queen and Philip died
The wife of late punk rocker Shane MacGowan has revealed he was secretly a huge fan of the royals.
Victoria Mary Clarke says the staunch Irish republican, who died last Thursday aged 65, was a very different man behind closed doors to his deeply cynical and vocal public persona.
Yesterday (Sat) on R4’s Today programme, she revealed he enjoyed watching documentaries about the royal family, and cried when Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Diana died.
She added: ‘He was always buying flowers and he was just a very romantic man.’
Meanwhile, a campaign is underway by his fans to make The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York Christmas number one.
Released in 1987, the song is regularly named Britain’s favorite Christmas song in polls, but has never reached the top spot in the charts, finishing second behind the Pet Shop Boys cover of Always On My Mind in the year of the release.
Victoria Mary Clarke says the staunch Irish republican, who died last Thursday aged 65, was a very different man behind closed doors to his deeply cynical and boisterous public persona
It was revealed that he enjoyed watching documentaries about the royal family and cried when Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Diana died
Clarke, who married MacGowan in 2018 after being engaged for 11 years and dating for decades, said she was “a huge supporter” of the Brits’ push for the song – a duet recorded with singer Kirsty MacColl – to get into the coveted. festive top spot.
The singer died at home in Dublin, surrounded by his family, after developing pneumonia, prompting an outpouring of tributes from around the world.
Earlier this week it was announced that he had been suffering from a brain disorder for eight years.
MacGowan had been battling viral encephalitis and was released from hospital last week.
Details about the funeral have yet to be confirmed for the frontman, whose death was announced in a heartbreaking statement on The Pogues’ social media accounts on behalf of the band and his wife, sister Siobhan and father Maurice.
The statement read: “It is with the deepest sadness and heaviest hearts that we announce the passing of Shane MacGowan.
‘Shane died peacefully at 3am (November 30, 2023) with his wife Victoria and family by his side.
“Prayers and the reading of the last rites were given which brought comfort to his family.
‘He is survived by his wife Victoria, his sister Siobhan and his father Maurice, family and a large circle of friends.
‘Further details will be announced shortly, but the family requests privacy at this very sad time.’
Victoria later shared more tributes to her husband, who she married in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2018 on social media.
She shared an image of MacGowan smiling on X, formerly Twitter, and captioned it: “Gonna miss him so much! His smile, his eyes, his laugh, his sense of humor and his voice, every little part of him.”
MacGowan had been battling viral encephalitis and was released from hospital last week
Shane MacGowan in hospital shortly before being released on November 22, eight days before he died
She later revealed that MacGowan had spent his final months binging Irish comedy classic Father Ted on Channel 4.
She brought him a portable DVD player at the hospital – and said he couldn’t get enough of the Graham Linehan show about a pair of down-on-his-luck priests living on the west coast of Ireland.