MacGowan, known for his gravelly voice and love of alcohol, left over $10,000 in his will to pay for the bar tab at his funeral, according to reports.
Pogues singer Shane MacGowan passed away late last month and the news of his departure sent music lovers in tears. The punk and poet died at 65 on Nov. 30, and the Irish musician’s final wish is also making headlines.
MacGowan, known for his gravelly voice and love of alcohol, left over $10,000 in his will to pay for the bar tab at his funeral, according to reports.
The “If I Should Fall From Grace with God” singer was buried on Friday in a star-studded ceremony that included Bono, Aiden Gillen, Nick Cave, Glen Hansard, Johnny Depp, Bobby Gillespie, and of course his Pogues bandmates among others at a church in Ireland, according to People.
Following the funeral, family and friends mourned and celebrated the life of the “Rainy Night in SoHo” singer at one of his favorite bars, the Thatched Cottage, in Nenagh, Ireland, where even in death MacGowan picked up the bill, according to Consequence of Sound.
“It was Shane’s last request,” one of MacGowan’s friends and self-proclaimed “former drinking partner” told The Independent, saying the money the singer left behind had already been “handed over the counter for free beer.”
“It is a beautiful place just outside of town but there is only a limited amount of people allowed,” the friend added.
After news got out that MacGowan left the money behind to pay for his funeral’s bar tab, his wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, clarified on Twitter that “his last request was for peace and love in the world.”
“I just want to say that @ShaneMacGowan did NOT make a last request to leave 10 k behind the bar, his last request was for peace and love in the world. Although we are certain that he would have approved of the beautiful funeral!,” she wrote.
Following MacGowan’s passing, the Pogues are reissuing their Christmas classic, “Fairytale of New York,” on seven-inch vinyl with proceeds benefiting a charity long supported by their late singer, according to Rolling Stone. The proceeds from the release will be donated to the Dublin Simon Community, which works to end and prevent homelessness.
The song, “Fairytale of New York,” which has been a Christmas staple in Ireland and the U.K., has reached No. 1 on the Irish charts nearly 36 years after its initial release following MacGowen’s passing. The song from 1988 first topped the charts upon release in the country, according to Irish music magazine Hot Press.
