Shane MacGowan's health battles and encephalitis struggle over the years

30 November 2023 , 12:44

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Shane MacGowan's health battles and encephalitis struggle over the years

The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan has died at the age of 65 after a long battle with illness including encephalitis, it has been announced.

Best known for his 1988 Christmas hit, Fairytale of New York, the Kent born musician had suffered from poor health for years before being hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) last summer. He struggled with binge drinking for a great part of his life, having taken his first sip of alcohol at the age of five and spent much time in pubs with his father as a young child. Shane was also known to perform live on stage and do interviews under the influence of substances.

Speaking about the folk singer's relationship with alcohol in 2016, his partner Victoria Mary Clarke told the Independent that his "work and drinking had always gone hand in hand." Elsewhere in the interview, she explained that Shane's entire lifestyle as a touring musician had revolved around drink-heavy environments. "Shane has been a singer all his life, singing in bars and clubs and other venues where people go to drink and have fun. If anyone is not drinking, it is unusual in these places," she said. "So the drinking has not just been a recreational activity, his whole career has revolved around it and, indeed, been both enhanced and simultaneously inhibited by it."

Shane MacGowan had suffered from ill health for years before his death (Twitter)

Victoria also claimed that Shane had struggled with Class A drugs, and had even missed his flight to open for Bob Geldof due to his addiction issues. It wasn't until he was hospitalized in 2016 with "an excruciating pain in his hip" and pneumonia that ultimately cut off his access to alcohol. After being discharged following a "total detox", he continued his sobriety.

A year before this, Shane ended up in hospital with a fractured pelvis after falling while getting out of a van. His sister Siobhan later confirmed that he would not need surgery to recover, revealing that physiotherapy and rest would be sufficient to heal the injury. Shane suffered another blow in 2020, after breaking his knee and tearing his ligaments in fall at his home. The accident left him bedridden and unable to eat 'for days' after losing his appetite, Victoria said at the time.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Shane's wife, Victoria Clarke, kept fans updated on his condition before his passing (Marc O'sullivan/REX/Shutterstock)

Imelda May had recently visited Shane in hospital (Victoriamary/Twitter)

In December 2022, Shane was hospitalised and was diagnosed with encephalitis, a rare but serious condition characterized by inflammation of the brain. He was hospitalised once again for a lingering infection in July, only to be discharged last week ahead of the Christmas season. It's understood that Shane was unable to walk at the time of leaving hospital and had been using a wheelchair to move around.

Emma Dooney