Page 23 - Joe Strummer News Today

Shane MacGowan, former frontman and songwriter for Irish punk band The Pogues has died at age 65 after a long illness.

MacGowan's songwriting and persona made him an iconic figure in contemporary Irish culture, and some of his compositions have become classics – most notably the bittersweet Christmas ballad 'Fairytale of New York.'

The Pogues frontman and singer-songwriter Shane MacGowan has died at the age of 65.

LONDON (AP) — Shane MacGowan, the boozy, rabble-rousing singer and chief songwriter of The Pogues, who infused traditional Irish music with the energy and spirit of punk, died Thursday, his family said. He was 65. MacGowan’s songwriting and persona made him an iconic figure in contemporary Irish culture, and some of his compositions have become […]

Despite the sadness of MacGowan’s final years, as with all the great poets, it will be his written word that ultimately endures

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said MacGowan’s songs “captured the Irish experience, especially of being Irish abroad.”

Shane MacGowan, the boozy, rabble-rousing singer and chief songwriter of The Pogues, who infused traditional Irish music with the energy and spirit of punk, died Thursday, his family said.

Singer’s songwriting and persona made him an iconic figure in contemporary Irish culture

Shane MacGowan, the boozy, rabble-rousing singer and chief songwriter of The Pogues, who infused traditional Irish music with the energy and spirit of punk

For all his troubles, MacGowan was a true poet at heart, and a fierce believer in faith.