Shane MacGowan of The Pogues has been hospitalized, following recent health issues over the past several years.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Please send prayers and healing vibes,” wrote MacGowan’s wife Victoria May Clarke in a Twitter post on Dec. 5. “[Shane MacGowan] in hospital again and really hoping to get out asap.”
Clarke elaborated on her husband’s condition saying that he was admitted into the hospital on Dec. 2 and that she’s hopeful he will be discharged within a few days.
“I’m definitely hoping he gets out this week,” said Clarke in an interview with The Irish Mirror. “He’s a bit frustrated, I think. He finds it very frustrating. He wants to get out.” Clarke, 56, and MacGowan, now 64, have been married since 2018, but they have been a couple for decades. They first met in a London pub when Clarke was 17.
When asked about his condition, Clarke added, “Please don’t get too worried. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
Having struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism throughout his life, MacGowan’s health issues were exasperated in 2015 when he fractured his pelvis in a fall. The singer has suffered mobility issues since the accident and has been confined to a wheelchair, making it difficult for him to write, record, or perform.
“I’m not a morning person, but I am glad to be alive,” said MacGowan in a 2022 interview. “So I’m grateful to wake up. I have beautiful carers who come and get me out of the bed and into the lime green chair.”
MacGowan fronted The Pogues from 1982 through 1991 and later reunited with the band to tour between 2001 and 2014. The Pogues’ fifth album, Hell’s Ditch, was the last one to feature MacGowan. The band released their seventh and final album together, Pogue Malone, in 1996, their second album featuring vocalist Spider Stacy.
On Aug. 8, 2022, longtime Pogues bassist and songwriter Darryl Hunt died at the age of 72.
Photo: Universal Publishing Group
