The Pogues have publicly slammed an obituary dedicated to Shane MacGowan, whose death aged 65 was announced yesterday, claiming that it was “full of errors”. The band’s official Twitter (X) account attached a link to the offending article, which had described the Fairytale of New York singer in the first sentence as an “unlikely frontman” with “broken teeth and large ears”.
The article also alleged that Shane had given the group a “reputation for drunkenness”. It described the singer as a “loose cannon” and described extreme antics which the writer claimed were induced by drug and alcohol use.
The Pogues didn’t elaborate on exactly which parts of the obituary were incorrect, but this morning, they tweeted: “Such a terrible obituary. Full of errors.” Meanwhile, fans rushed to defend their idol, with @Sunderland_GM writing in the comments: “An obituary that shames someone about their looks in the first sentence. Incredibly disrespectful.”
@TaylorMod echoed: “This is an absolute disgrace. We have lost one of the most talented songwriters/storytellers ever and you use words like that. Poor form.” @maxligart chimed in: “Who wrote the article? A bully?”
@jonnyevans_cw added: “An execrably poor, deeply shallow commentary. It’s extremely disappointing and somehow manages to avoid articulating the genius of S. McGowan, a man whose talent shone like sun, whose poetry delivered strength to us when weak…” Meanwhile, @GrainneClear observed: “Who opens an obituary with negative reflections on someone’s appearance, and then spends the rest of it roaring about how the band wasn’t *really* Irish at all, as if that’s a key and important thing in this moment?”
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However, @momomessages posted a reassuring comment, telling the band: “The best way to remember him, is to sit back, play the Pogues and just marvel in the absolute musical brilliance of them all.
“Shane was definitely a unique character but that is without a doubt what made him so talented and why we loved him.”
The singer’s death was announced by his devastated wife Victoria on Thursday (November 30), who vowed he would live on in her heart “forever” and that she felt “blessed beyond words” to have known him.
She also tweeted a throwback photo of the pair kissing, writing fondly alongside it: “In the hospital the nurses kept asking why he was covered in lipstick. If you get to meet your soulmate please do let love in even if you have to suffer loss.”
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Shane had been suffering for months after contracting life-threatening encephalitis, an uncommon condition which causes inflammation in the brain.
He also had a painful bout of shingles which had spread to his eye, and spent an extended period in hospital, during which time he comforted himself by binging on Father Ted boxsets and chatting with visitors including Bruce Springsteen and Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillsepie.
The star had also sadly been confined to a wheelchair for almost a decade after an accident while dancing which shattered and broke his pelvis.
His music touched many and a huge stream of fans have taken to Twitter to reminisce over the band’s history and share memories.
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