Punk Rock Legend Hospitalized: Shane MacGowan’s Wife Asks for Prayers

Punk rock legend Shane MacGowan is fighting for his life. The Pogues co-founder was rushed to the hospital on Monday, prompting his wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, to ask fans for their prayers and “healing vibes.” MacGowan, 64, has never fully recovered from breaking his pelvis several years ago and uses a wheelchair.

“Please send prayers and healing vibes to [MacGowan] in hospital again and really hoping to get out asap!! Thank you,” Clarke tweeted. She included a recent photo of the singer.

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Many of MacGowan’s fans answered Clarke’s call. “God bless ya Shane absolute legend here’s hoping for a speedy recovery mate,” one person wrote. “Sending love, positivity, and prayers for a beautiful man,” another wrote. “Sending very best wishes and prayers for a speedy homecoming from hospital and recovery from illness to Shane, Victoria. Thinking of you both at this time,” another fan commented.

MacGowan broke his pelvis in late 2015 after a fall, reports Independent.ie. He later broke his knee, tearing ligaments. He never fully recovered from the two injuries and has been using a wheelchair ever since. In an April interview with The Guardian, MacGowan confirmed he can no longer walk.

“It was a fall and I fell the wrong way,” MacGowan told Vice in 2015. “I broke my pelvis, which is the worst thing you can do. I’m lame in one leg, I can’t walk around the room without a crutch. I am getting better, but it’s taking a very long time. It’s the longest I’ve ever taken to recover from an injury. And I’ve had a lot of injuries.”

MacGowan has continued working on other projects, including his new book, The Eternal Buzz & The Crock of Gold. The book includes illustrations, essays, and song lyrics, including early takes on Pogues songs. Clarke, a journalist who met MacGowan when she was 17 and married him in 2018, put the book together. “I collected it for years because I didn’t want to throw them away, I thought they were important, so eventually I said let’s do something with this, a book or something,” she told Independent.ie in November. “It’s like my dirty laundry, it smells,” MacGowan said of the book.

MacGowan founded The Pogues in 1982, and the group recorded seven albums between 1984 and 1996. His last album was their 1990 LP Hell’s Ditch. He then formed a new band, Shane MacGowan and The Popes, which recorded two studio albums. The Pogues reunited in 2001 to tour, but split in 2014 again without recording any new material. The Pogues’ most successful song is their 1987 single, “Fairytale of New York,” which features vocals from Kirsty MacColl. In the U.K., it is the most-played Christmas song and was written by MacGowan and Pogues co-founder Jem Finer.