Shane MacGowan's wife Victoria Mary Clarke has said that it was a "massive shock" to learn in recent months that her husband was going to die.
"Me and my sister held his hands and the priest was saying the prayers and he actually died during the prayers, which was good for him, I think," Clarke told the Brendan O'Connor Show on RTÉ Radio 1 on Saturday.
"He wasn't ready to give up, he wasn't ready to stop fighting, but his body did it for him, his body just was like, we can't do this anymore."
Victoria Mary Clarke said it was a ‘massive shock’ to be told by doctors that her husband was nearing the end of his life and he had always ‘pulled through’ in the past | Read more: https://t.co/GWDyWdNwyR pic.twitter.com/j81p5E5ls0
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) December 2, 2023
Clarke said it was a huge shock when doctors told her that MacGowan was reaching the end of his life, stating that she thought he was going to recover from his illness as he had always done before.
"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. I actually lay down in the hospital for a while before I went into the room," Clarke told O'Connor.
MacGowan was diagnosed with encephalitis last year and spent a week in intensive care last December. He was admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital in July after an ICU stay and remained there until November 22.
Shane got out of the hospital! We are deeply and eternally grateful to all of the doctors and nurses and staff at St Vincent’s it’s the best ! And special thanks to Tom Creagh and Brian Corscadden for your help @ShaneMacGowan @poguesofficial pic.twitter.com/ciEhB1NcRU
— @victoriamary (@Victoriamary) November 22, 2023
MacGowan remained positive throughout his time in hospital and was "as happy as he could be" while dealing with his diagnosis, Clarke told O'Connor.
"He was very grateful - thankful - to all the staff all the time. [He] Always remembered to thank the nurses, thank the doctors, thank everybody who came into the room.
"Even if he was in pain and stuff, he was always pleased to be there - pleased to be somewhere, pleased to be alive, pleased to see whoever came in. And happy to have the chat."
Clarke said her husband had so many scares and near misses during his life that she presumed he would pull through once again.
"He had so many of these. He had been in intensive care so many times over the years, in London and in Ireland, and even in America," Clarke said.
"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."
Clarke said her husband had a "constant stream of visitors" while he was in hospital, including Bono, The Edge, Daniel O'Donnell, Imelda May, Aidan Gillen, and many more.
"He was incredibly loyal to his friends, and loved them – and still loves, from the beyond – in a very unconditional way. "
Clarke revealed that her husband had made an album before his death and said it sounded "good."
"He took great delight in the music he made," Clarke said.
"He was incredibly loyal to his friends. He loved them."
Shane MacGowan's widow Victoria Mary Clarke joined Brendan O'Connor to reflect on his life.
He'll be laid to rest this Friday 8th December. pic.twitter.com/ebhL894vUl
— RTÉ Radio 1 (@RTERadio1) December 4, 2023
MacGowan was deeply connected to his Tipperary roots and said the Pogues frontman "felt a sense of place and a sense of Old Ireland - the kind of Old Ireland that he romanticized and that he would've liked to preserve when he was there."
Clarke recalled meeting MacGowan for the first time in 1982 and said she was "fascinated immediately" by the Pogues singer.
"I was sitting in my seat in the pub, in North London – the Royal Oak, Temple Fortune – and he just walked in the bar with Spider (Stacy) and I noticed them because they didn’t look like anyone else."
She said MacGowan was "dressed like his dad" and approached her to ask if she would buy his friend and Pogues bandmate Spider Stacy a drink for his birthday.
"And I said ‘F**k off.' And that’s all we said to each other but that somehow created intrigue."
She began attending Pogues concerts around the UK and the pair later went on a date to the 100 Club in London.
"We got to do so many things," Clarke said, reflecting on her relationship with MacGowan. "We went everywhere in the world, we met so many people - just absolutely brilliant."
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