The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan has passed away at the age of 65.

MacGowan had been in intensive care for several months after first being diagnosed with viral encephalitis last year, which is said to have been exacerbated by shingles that spread to his eye.

Shane MacGowan's wife Victoria Mary Clarke took to Instagram to announce the sad news.

With several red heart emojis, she wrote: "I don’t know how to say this so I am just going to say it.

"Shane who will always be the light that I hold before me and the measure of my dreams and the love of my life and the most beautiful soul and beautiful angel and the sun and the moon and the start and end of everything that I hold dear has gone to be with Jesus and Mary and his beautiful mother Therese.

"I am blessed beyond words to have met him and to have loved him and to have been so endlessly and unconditionally loved by him and to have had so many years of life and love and joy and fun and laughter and so many adventures.

"There’s no way to describe the loss that I am feeling and the longing for just one more of his smiles that lit up my world. Thank you thank you thank you thank you for your presence in this world you made it so very bright and you gave so much joy to so many people with your heart and soul and your music.

"You will live in my heart forever. Rave on in the garden all wet with rain that you loved so much

"You meant the world to me."

Victoria Mary Clarke recently asked for “love and prayers” after she shared a photo of the two in hospital.

MacGowan and Clarke had been together for more than 35 years.

Clarke wrote: "Love is the most beautiful and powerful thing that we can experience as humans but love can also feel painful, especially if you are afraid of losing a person or anything else that you love. The really really big challenge that we all face is to go beyond what our minds think are the limits of love and what love really is.

"A lot of the time that thing we call love can more accurately be described as attachment or desire or need or longing or closeness or connection. And all of these are totally valuable and human and we need to acknowledge and appreciate and accept every part of our experience."

"But sometimes when you love very deeply you will find yourself facing terrifying fears of loss that can feel so big and devastating that you don't know how you can survive them and you can't imagine life without this person that you love. It's in these moments when you are staring into the abyss that you have an opportunity to expand your consciousness beyond the limitations of your mind."

They tied the knot in Denmark in November 2018. The intimate ceremony was attended by their close friend Johnny Depp, who also performed.

In 2021, the Irish star suffered a fall, breaking his right knee and tearing ligaments in his other. He never fully recovered following the incident.

Shane MacGowan's life

MacGowan was always open about his battle with addiction.

After a performance with singer Sinead O'Connor in 2000 he was reported to the police for his heroin habit. He credited this with saving his life — he and Victoria both went into rehab, one for drug addiction and the other to be treated for depression.

Famous for his mouthful of rotten teeth, in 2015 he underwent extensive dental surgery to replace them with implants. Victoria chose the whitest available, inspired by a photograph of actor Michael Fassbender.

MacGowan, remembering how he once got drunk with a bunch of fishermen in Greece with glittering smiles, insisted on having one solid gold tooth.

Fairytale of New York

MacGowan was born on Christmas Day.

Although known for other hits such as Dirty Old Town and Sally MacLennane, The Pogues were best known for Fairytale of New York with Kirsty MacColl.

MacGowan insisted that it arose as a result of a wager made by the Pogues' producer at the time, Elvis Costello, that the band would not be able to write a Christmas hit single.

The song has always courted controversy but remains one of the more popular festive anthems. 

On November 19, 2020, PinkNews journalist Josh Milton described the seemingly annual argument over whether or not the use of the word "f****t" was offensive as "Britain's worst festive tradition".

It is the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the UK.