Pogues singer Shane MacGowan ‘so happy’ as he shares latest update from hospital

Shane MacGowan appeared frail but cheerful as he received numerous visitors at the hospital over the weekend.

The 65-year-old Pogues frontman has been undergoing treatment since being diagnosed with viral encephalitis in December 2022, a rare and potentially life-threatening condition that causes swelling of the brain.

Irish author Victoria Mary Clarke, MacGowan’s long-time partner, shared updates from the singer’s hospital bed with her fans, including photos of him greeting his friends.

On Sunday (November 19), Clarke tweeted that the “Fairytale of New York” singer was “so happy” to see musician Imelda May and shared a photo of the couple hugging.

May, who previously shared a post showing her visit to MacGowan in August, quoted Clarke’s post and commented: “My darling Shane! Great to see you today. Best kisser.”

MacGowan also received a visit last week from his Pogues bandmates Spider Stacy and Terry Woods.

Previously, on Friday, November 17, Clarke thanked her followers for their well-wishes to MacGowan and expressed her hope that he would be able to return home in time for the Christmas season.

“Shane is feeling much better today!” she wrote. “I am so grateful to everyone who is giving him the opportunity to come home (for Christmas).”

MacGowan rose to fame in the early 1980s as the frontman of the Anglo-Irish band The Pogues, who combined punk rock sensibilities and politically charged lyrics through the use of traditional Irish instruments and folk references.

They are best known for their hit single “Fairytale of New York,” a 1987 duet with Irish singer Kirsty MacColl, which is widely considered one of the best Christmas songs of all time.

MacGowan was fired from the Pogues in 1991 due to drug problems and unreliability in their live performances.

Clarke married the singer in 2018 in an intimate ceremony attended by her close friends and family, including Hollywood actor and musician Johnny Depp.

“Sometimes when you love very deeply, you are faced with terrible fears of loss that can feel so big and devastating that you don’t know how to survive them and you can’t imagine life without the person you love,” she wrote in an Instagram post earlier this month.

MacGowan has been confined to a wheelchair since 2015 after breaking his pelvis in an unfortunate fall while leaving a studio in Dublin.

After years of battling drug and alcohol addiction, he managed to get clean the following year after suffering from severe pneumonia and a long hospital stay for his hip injury, which required a “complete detox.”

If you or someone you know is suffering from alcohol addiction, you can confidentially call the national alcohol helpline Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 or visit the NHS website. Here for information about the programs available to you.