Shane MacGowan’s widow praises Johnny Depp for his unwavering support

11 December 2023

Shane MacGowan’s widow applauded Jonny Depp for his incredible support and loyalty to her husband.

Shane MacGowan’s widow applauded Jonny Depp for his incredible support and loyalty to her husband

The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor was among the mourners at the Pogues frontman's funeral and cremation over the weekend and Victoria Mary Clarke has thanked the 60-year-old actor for being a "tower of strength" in the wake of her spouse's passing on 30 November and during his months of ill health beforehand.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Victoria wrote: “When you lose a loved one you need to be able to focus on the blessings and I want to thank #johnnydepp for being a tower of strength and for supporting me and @ShaneMacGowan in so many ways with such respect and compassion and loyalty.”

Johnny, who had played the guitar at the ‘Fairytale of New York’ singer’s wedding to Victoria in 2018, carried Shane’s coffin into the St Mary of the Rosary Church in Dublin, and delivered a reading of the Prayer of the Faithful during the funeral service.

During the reading, the actor paid his respects and admiration to Shane by labelling him as a music “maestro”.

He said: “We pray for a deeper spirit and compassion in the world. May we feel the pain of others, understand their need and reach out to all who suffer in any way with a continuous love that is rooted in faith and peace.”

Along with attending the funeral mass in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, on Friday (08.12.23), Johnny was also at the official wake until the early hours of Saturday (09.12.23) morning at the Thatched Cottage Pub in Ballycommon with around 250 other mourners.

He was also among thousands of people who signed the book of condolences on rip.ie, the obituary website dedicated to publishing death notices in Ireland.

He wrote: "Shane, my friend in life and in whiskey. May the wind be at your sails. Keep River company and all our brethren who passed way before their time.

“I’ll never forget your support the last few years chum. LOVE Always, JD — Johnny Depp.”