Shane MacGowan, the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band The Pogues, passed away on Thursday at the age of 65, confirms a statement by his family.

The official Instagram handle of The Pogues has shared the family statement on behalf of MacGowan’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke, his sister Siobhan and his father Maurice. “It is with the deepest of sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Shane MacGowan. Shane died peacefully at 3 am this morning (30 November 2023) with his wife Victoria and family by his side,” the statement reads.

Members of the band mentioned that prayers and last rites for MacGowan have been performed and that further details will be mentioned soon when Shane’s family feels comfortable to open up.

Founded in London in 1982, The Pogues became pioneers in the Celtic punk genre as their band leader MacGowan sought to combine the power of Irish folk music with the rock scene, drawing inspiration from Irish culture and nationalism. The inclusion of traditional Irish instruments, such as tin whistle and accordion, contributed to The Pogues’s distinctive sound.

Though MacGowan’s career would be marked by personal struggles, including his alcoholism, his tumultuous journey has only added to the authenticity and raw emotion present in his lyrics. After he left The Pogues in 1991, MacGowan continued to release solo albums like The Snake (1994) and Crock of Gold (1997).

“Shane will be remembered as one of music’s greatest lyricists. The genius of Shane’s contribution includes the fact that his songs capture within them, as Shane would put it, the measure of our dreams - of so many worlds, and particularly those of love, of the emigrant experience and of facing the challenges of that experience with authenticity and courage, and of living and seeing the sides of life that so many turn away from,” said Michael D. Higgins, the current president of Ireland, in a statement on MacGowan’s death.