Shane MacGowan, frontman of The Pogues, dies at age 65
By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Shane Macgowan, the singer-songwriter and frontman of The Pogues, best known for the Christmas ballad “Fairytale of New York,” has died. He was 65. His family said in a statement that “it is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our most beautiful, darling and dearly beloved Shane Macgowan.” The singer died peacefully early Thursday with his family by his side, the statement added. The musician had been hospitalized in Dublin for several months after being diagnosed with viral encephalitis in late 2022. He was discharged last week, ahead of his upcoming birthday on Christmas Day.