Shane MacGowan's cause of death revealed after The Pogues star passed away aged 65 following eight-year battle with brain condition

Shane MacGowan's wife has revealed The Pogues star's cause of death following the news of his passing on Thursday after battling a brain condition for eight years.

MacGowan, 65, had been battling viral encephalitis and was released from hospital just last week. He died in the early hours of Thursday morning at home in Dublin surrounded by his family.

The New York Times reports that his wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, confirmed the cause of death as pneumonia.

Funeral details are yet to be confirmed for The Pogues frontman, whose death was announced in a heartbreaking statement issued on The Pogues' social media accounts on behalf of the band and his wife, sister Siobhan and father Maurice.

The death prompted an outpouring of tributes from famous faces and Pogues fans - and has rejuvenated a campaign to make the band's best known song, Fairytale of New York, the UK Christmas number one. 

It read: 'It is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Shane MacGowan.

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

'Prayers and the last rites were read which gave 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 ask for privacy at this very sad time.' 

Victoria later shared further tributes to her husband, whom she married in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2018, on social media.

She shared an image of MacGowan smiling on X, formerly Twitter, and captioned it: 'I am going to miss him so much! His smile, his eyes his laugh his sense of humour and his voice, every little part of him.'

She later revealed MacGowan had spent his final months binging on the Channel 4 Irish comedy classic Father Ted.

She brought him a portable DVD player in hospital - and said he couldn't get enough of the Graham Linehan show about a pair of hapless priests living off of Ireland's west coast.

Victoria, 57, told The Sun: 'So he wouldn't get bored we brought a little DVD player into Shane and friends have been giving him presents of classic movies on DVD.

'But the thing he won't stop playing is the 'Father Ted; boxset. Shane watches that all day long and can't stop laughing.'

This is a breaking story, more to follow.