Shane McGowan made sure to live life to the fullest, and is often remembered for his party lifestyle during his peak success in the 80's.
The iconic Pogues singer was renowned around the world for his Christmas hit Fairytale of New York, and sold millions of copies across the globe.
However, outside of the partying, Shane lived a very colourful life making hits with famous friends from Sinead O'Connor to Kirsty MacColl.
READ MORE: Victoria Mary Clarke calls Shane McGowan 'the measure of my dreams' in heartbreaking post
Shane MacGowan would become almost as famous for his drinking and drug-taking habits as he would for his music after finding fame with band The Pogues.
The hitmaker allegedly made the bands hit single The Fairytale Of New York on a whim, as he was prodded by Elvis Costello who said he could never write a successful Christmas song.
Shane went on to write the song, which now in the charts every Christmas, and featured singer Kirsty MacColl.
The song created a legacy for Shane and his bandmates, as it blew up the charts with its huge success- with the song being certified quintuple platinum in December 2022 for three million combined sales.
Shane also recorded a duet version of The Pogues hit Haunted with close friend Sinead O’Connor in 1995.
The pair had a falling out shortly after they recorded their hit due to the singers ongoing drug use, with Sinead reporting him to the police as an intervention.
Sinead later said: “I reported him to the police for his own good. I never wanted him put into prison, because drugs are freely available there, but ordered into a rehabilitation programme.”
The pair has a close but rocky relationship, with Sinead sharing that she often had to seek help for the singer.
She said she had telephoned the emergency services after she found the singer collapsed on the floor of his home in the early 2000's, with Shane later noting that she saved his life.
The Pogues star had a history of drinking, with the problem starting aged just 5, when his family allegedly gave him Guinness to help him fall asleep.
The singer said: “I was smoking and drinking and gambling before I could talk.”
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