Shane MacGowan is said to have had a fortune of at least £4.3 million when he died.
Shane MacGowan is said to have had a fortune of at least £4.3 million when he died
The Pogues frontman, who died aged 65 on 30 November after suffering a string of illnesses including pneumonia, raked in most of his fortune in royalties from his and his band’s festive drunk tank classic ‘Fairytale of New York’.
Business Plus said the Irishman made between €250,000 (£216,000) to €300,000 (£260,000) a year in royalties from the song.
It highlighted how he and his widow Victoria Mary Clarke also shared an apartment in the luxurious area of Ballsbridge in Dublin which will be worth a small fortune.
The outlet added Shane had long quit The Pogues companies Pomoco LLP and Pogue Mahone Ltd, but said his net worth including his property and estimated royalties savings would have meant he was worth in the region of €5 million (£4.3 m) at the time of his death.
On top of that, the couple would have extra income from Victoria’s scarves.
Shane’s wife designs high end silk accessories that start from €129 (£112.)
‘Fairytale’ royalties will be higher than ever this year as it has been tipped to finally claim the UK Christmas No1
Fans of ‘Fairytale’ are campaigning for the song to claim the festive No1 spot in the UK charts after it was released in 1988 and only peaked at No2 after it was beaten to the coveted landmark by the Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Always on my Mind’.
But the track is currently trailing in the chart behind Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ and Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’.
Shane was being treated in hospital since June and was allowed home just before he died surrounded by loved ones including his wife Victoria.
She recently told ITV’s Good Morning Britain about dealing with her grief: “I want you all to know (losing a loved one) is not as bad as you think it’s going to be and there’s a huge amount of love that comes your way when you lose someone that you didn’t really expect.”
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