Shane MacGowan’s widow shares touching snaps of The Pogues hitmaker throughout the night after his death at 65 – as Fairytale Of New York soars to number one in the charts

Shane MacGowan's widow Victoria Mary Clarke has admitted she is 'going to miss him so much' as ​​she shared a selection of photos with The Pogues hitmaker following his death on Thursday at the age of 65.

Victoria took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to post a tender photo of herself sharing a kiss with the musician, adding that she was going to miss “every little part of him.”

The legendary Irish rocker, who was behind the iconic Christmas carol Fairytale of New York, died 'peacefully' at 3am on Thursday with his wife and family by his side.

The singer had been battling viral encephalitis – a life-threatening condition that leads to swelling of the brain – and had been in and out of St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin for months. He was fired last week ahead of his upcoming birthday on Christmas Day.

Hours after Shane's death was announced, The Pogues' song Fairytale Of New York soared to the top of the iTunes charts, and bookmakers are already tipping the track to land the coveted Christmas number one.

Victoria posted a photo of her late husband and captioned the post: “I'm going to miss him so much! His smile, his eyes, his laugh, his sense of humor and his voice, every little part of him.”

After sharing a photo of their tender kiss, she added: 'At the hospital, the nurses kept asking why he was covered in lipstick. When you meet your soulmate, please let love in, even if you have to suffer loss.”

Tributes have been paid to Shane after he passed away on Thursday at the age of 65.

The death of the legendary rocker, who was behind the iconic Christmas song Fairytale of New York, was announced by his wife Victoria in a post on Instagram.

It comes just three days after she shared a touching photo of the singer beaming in his hospital bed, alongside news that he has left St Vincent's Hospital.

The singer was diagnosed with viral encephalitis – a life-threatening condition that leads to swelling of the brain – and has been in and out of hospital for months.

The Pogues bandmate Peter 'Spider' Stacy led the tribute to fellow bandmate Shane, sharing a photo of him performing on stage.

On X, formerly Twitter, Stacy wrote: “Oh Captain! My captain! Our anxious journey is over.”

Stacy co-founded The Pogues with Shane, Jem Finer and James Fearnley and appeared on all their recordings.

Irish singer Imelda May also re-shared a black and white photo of Shane with his wife Victoria and simply captioned it with a heart of love as she led the tribute.

Imelda, 49, saw The Pogues frontman a few days earlier when she visited him in hospital last week, with Victoria sharing a photo of the day on social media.

He wrote: “So sad to hear today of Shane's passing. His stories enriched our world endlessly, just like the nights we spent with him. As an artist he was untouchable and will always be with us. Our thoughts go out to everyone who knew him x.”

The Pogues wrote on their Twitter: 'A statement on behalf of Shane MacGowan's wife Victoria Mary Clarke, his sister Siobhan and father Maurice.

“It is with the deepest sadness and heaviest hearts that we announce the passing of SHANE MACGOWAN.

'Shane died peacefully at 3am (November 30, 2023) with his wife Victoria and family by his side.

'Prayers and the reading of the last rites were given which brought comfort to his family. He is survived by his wife Victoria, his sister Siobhan and his father Maurice, family and a large circle of friends.

'Further details will be announced shortly, but the family requests privacy at this very sad time.'

Shane hosted a slew of A-list visitors during his hospitalization, including country singer Daniel O'Donnell and Primal Scream legend Bobby Gillsepie.

Fairytale of New York was already the favorite to hit number one when fans rallied around the Pogues frontman during his battle with viral encephalitis, a life-threatening condition that leads to swelling of the brain.

But with news of his death, bookmakers including Ladbrokes and Coral say the 1987 duet with Kirsty MacColl will almost certainly top the charts.

Famous fans, including Piers Morgan, are already leading the charge to make the song – often voted the best Christmas song of all time in the polls – number one in a fitting tribute to the Irish punk legend.

Ladbrokes have given odds of 1/4 on The Pogues, with Wham!'s Last Christmas the next closest bet with odds of 6/1. Earlier in November it offered odds of 6/4.

Ladbrokes' Alex Apati said: 'The Pogues were already clear favorites for this year's festive top spot before this morning's tragic news.

“We'd be surprised at this point if Fairytale of New York didn't top the charts on Christmas Day.”

In her post announcing his death, Victoria wrote: “I don't know how to say this so I'm just going to say it.

'Shane who will always be the light that I hold before me and the benchmark 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 beginning and end of everything that I hold dear went to live 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 loved so endlessly and unconditionally by him and to have had so many years of life and love and joy and fun and laughter and so many adventures.

“There is no way to describe the loss I feel and the longing for one more of his smiles to light up my world.

'Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for being in this world, you made it so bright and you gave so much joy to so many people with your heart and soul and your music.

'You will live on in my heart forever. Continue in the garden, all wet from the rain you loved so much You meant the world to me.”

Victoria recently shared an important health update about the hospitalized star.

The rocker left fans shocked when Victoria shared a photo showing the extent of his ill health.

In a newer post, the hitmaker was seen smiling, captioning it, “Shane is feeling much better today! I'm so grateful to everyone who is willing to come home for Christmas!'

While Shane was the lead singer of the iconic Irish folk band, Spider, real name Peter Richard Spider Stacy, played the tin flute and Terry Woods the guitar and mandolin.

All three performed in the group during the height of their success in the late '80s and early '90s before reuniting in 2001 with their last performance together in 2014.

Shane's wife took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to thank the musician for visiting, alongside a photo of her husband now using a breathing apparatus as he continues to battle the dangerous condition.

She wrote: 'Just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who messaged me and @ShaneMacGowan, and thank you to @spiderstacy and Terry Woods for joining him.

“Love and prayers to everyone who is going through a hard time right now. Hold on'.

The Pogues – shortened from their original name Pogue Mahone, a crude Irish expression – fused the furious energy of punk with traditional Irish melodies and instruments, including banjo, tin whistle and accordion.

The band's first album, Red Roses for Me, was released in 1984 and featured versions of Irish folk songs alongside originals including Boys from the County Hell, Dark Streets of London and Streams of Whiskey.