Singer Shane MacGowan died this Thursday at the age of 65, his wife has confirmed. The Pogues frontman was recently hospitalized with viral encephalitis.
“Shane will always be my light, the measure of my dreams and the love of my life,” the artist’s wife said in a message quoted The keeper.
On November 22, Shane’s wife announced that the singer had been discharged from the hospital, and a few days later she shared a photo from their wedding anniversary celebration. At the time, she said she was “thankful” they were still alive.
Shane was born in Kent, UK, to Irish immigrant parents. He was the lead singer of the Pogues from 1982 until the group folded in 2014. In his songs, the musician wrote several times about Irish nationalism.
Last year, the singer revealed that he suffers from encephalitis, a rare but serious disease that causes inflammation of the brain. Since 2015, after an injury from a fall, he began using a wheelchair.
“We wanted to make music with roots, which is usually stronger and more emotional,” he said in 1983.
Shane had problems with drug and alcohol addiction.