Shane MacGowan’s wife hopeful Pogues singer will be home ‘tomorrow’ after life-threatening brain inflammation
Victoria Mary Clarke shared the health update on social media
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Shane MacGowan’s wife, journalist Victoria Mary Clarke, has given fans a promising update on The Pogues frontman’s health.
MacGowan was rushed to hospital earlier this month (5 December) after falling ill with viral encephalitis, a medical condition which causes inflammation in the brain.
The 64-year-old “Fairytale of New York” artist had also contracted shingles, which spread to his eye.
Clarke previously told fans that doctors were “confident he will be OK”, and thanked fans for sending good wishes in the wake of his illness.
On Tuesday (13 December), she shared a picture of MacGowan in his hospital bed, alongside the message: “Fingers crossed @ShaneMacGowan will be home tomorrow!”
Speaking to the Irish Sunday Independent at the weekend, she also opened up about the situation.
“I was absolutely terrified. You don’t know what is going to happen, do you? You just don’t know,” Clarke said.
“I noticed it on his face. His eye was getting red and began to close over. I called the doctor and the doctor said it was very dangerous so we had to get him to the hospital straight away,” she continued.
Left untreated, encephalitis can lead to death in 10 per cent of instances. Severe cases can also lead to seizures, hearing loss and blindness, all of which may be permanent.
“The hospital explained to me that shingles can go into your brain and that’s what happened to Shane so now they want to keep him in on a drip for two weeks,” Clarke said in the interview, dated 13 December.
“He seems perfectly normal now,” she added. “He is pissed off because he can’t have a drink in the hospital.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments