Shane MacGowan’s dad ‘heartened’ by outpouring of tributes as pal says Pogues icon was ‘desperate to get home’
SHANE MacGowan’s dad has been “heartened” by the public’s reaction to the singer’s death, his family have said.
The Pogues frontman passed away on Thursday at the age of 65, just weeks before his 66th birthday on Christmas Day.
And his family said the outpouring of tributes since has been “beautiful” and has helped them — especially his father, Maurice.
Shane’s sister, author Siobhan, last night told The Irish Sun: “We are heartbroken, but Dad is heartened by the outpouring and tributes to his son.
“The tributes have been beautiful, it has been lovely to see.”
Shane had been in St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin for months before his passing after he was diagnosed with viral encephalitis.
On Thursday, he died from suspected pneumonia.
Just days before his death, his wife Victoria Mary Clarke said he had finally left the hospital.
And close pals have revealed that Shane was in flying form and “desperate” to get home.
Long-term manager Joey Cashman spoke exclusively to The Irish Sun about his final meeting with the famed bard last week.
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He said: “I am absolutely heartbroken, he was my best friend and I loved him.
“I was in to see him just last week and he was in great form. He was desperate to get home, he was really looking forward to it.
“He didn’t look very well but he was great company, as always. He was really looking forward to getting home, that was his big thing.”
Cashman — who had been friends with the singer for more than four decades — told how he was emotional after their final meeting.
He told us: “I knew it might be the last time I would see him. I was meant to go in and see him this week, he’d been asking for me to go in but I couldn’t make it.
“We were friends since 1985. I lived with him and we shared a room for four years straight — we nearly killed one another! We’d be shouting and roaring at one another over the remote!
“He used to make me do interviews, pretending to be him! Some pretty major interviews, Rolling Stone and the likes.
“He would say, ‘I’m not f* doing it’, so I’d get on the phone pretending to be him. They could never tell. “You just had to sound grumpy and throw in a few ‘that’s a f* stupid question’ comments and they’d think it was him! And he’d be cracking up laughing in the background.”
FUNERAL ARRANGMENTS
Meanwhile, more details emerged about arrangements for Shane’s funeral yesterday.
The mass in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, where his father lives, is to be open to the public.
It will take place on Friday, with Shane’s cremation to take place on Saturday.
Shane’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke told at the weekend how the star wasn’t ready to give up his fight to live.
She told RTE radio: “He was putting up a really strong fight. He was trying very hard to breathe.
“He wasn’t ready to give up. He wasn’t ready to stop fighting — but his body did it for him.”
And she said she never expected him to pass after he went through so much.
Victoria added: “It was a massive shock. I actually thought I was going to die myself when I heard. My body just gave out, I was vomiting and collapsing and not able to function.
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“He had been in intensive care so many times over the years, in London, in Ireland and even in America.
“I remember him getting pneumonia in LA while we were on tour and the tour manager was like ‘I don’t see how he can get through this’. But he always did. I just had this faith that he would.”