Shane MacGowan’s Widow Reveals His Cause of Death, Discusses His Last Moments; Funeral Plans Announced

Former Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan’s cause of death has been revealed. The U.K.-born Irish singer/songwriter, who passed away Thursday, November 30, at age 65, died of pneumonia in a hospital, his widow, Victoria Mary Clarke, told The New York Times.

Details about the plans for MacGowan’s funeral also have been unveiled. RTE reports that the memorial will be held Friday, December 8, in McGowan’s home county of Tipperary, Ireland, with a public mass set to take place at St. Mary of the Rosary Church in the town of Nenagh. MacGowan’s father, Maurice, lives in the Nenagh area, while his sister, Siobhan, resides in nearby Dromineer.

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Ireland’s President, Michael D. Higgins, is expected to attend the service, as are U2 frontman Bono and actor Johnny Depp, who was a close friend of MacGowan’s.

MacGowan, who suffered from ill health for many years because of alcohol and drug abuse, had been hospitalized in December 2022 with viral encephalitis, and his health issues then led to a lengthy hospital stay from June to November of this year.

During an interview with Ireland’s RTE Radio 1 over the weekend, Clarke shared what happened during MacGowan’s final moments.

“He was putting up a very strong fight,” she explained. “He was trying very hard to breathe and they had to put him on one of those masks to help him breathe, and I think he might have slipped into a bit of a coma … because he didn’t look like he was there to me, but I think he was aware we were there.”

Clarke revealed that she and her sister were holding his hands as the priest was saying prayers, and Shane “actually died during the prayers.”

She added, “He wasn’t ready to give up. He wasn’t ready to stop fighting, but his body did it for him. His body was just like, we can’t do this anymore.”

Clarke also revealed in the interview that when MacGowan was hospitalized during the weeks leading up to his death, a variety of musicians visited him, including Bono and U2 guitarist The Edge, former Clannad singer Moya Brennan, Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, and Imelda May, as well as actor Aiden Gillen and filmmaker and playwright Jim Sheridan.

As for MacGowan’s state of mind during his hospitalization, Clarke said he was “as happy as he could be” taking into account his various pains.

“I think he always mostly smiled and was very grateful [and] thankful to all the staff all the time,” she noted. “[He] always remembered to thank the nurse, thank the doctor, thank everybody who came into the room. And I think … even if he was in pain and stuff, he was always pleased to be … alive, pleased to see whoever came in, and happy to have the chat.”