The estate of The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan has been valued at over £5 million, with his entire fortune left to his widow, Victoria Clarke. MacGowan died in 2023 at the age of 65 from pneumonia.
High Court documents reveal that MacGowan's estate was valued at £4.8 million. This is in addition to £730,000 he had already provided to Clarke through his Irish will. The combined value of his estate exceeds £5.5 million.
Victoria Clarke, 59, is named as the sole executor of the will, which was read at the Brighton District Probate Registry. The will, signed in Dublin on March 14, 2018, also stipulated that his Irish estate would pass to his widow. Had Clarke predeceased MacGowan, his novelist sister, Siobhan MacGowan, 63, would have inherited his estate.
MacGowan married Victoria Clarke in Copenhagen eight months after signing the will. She is described in the documents as his 'partner'.
A significant portion of MacGowan's income stemmed from royalties generated by The Pogues' 1987 hit duet with Kirsty MacColl, "Fairytale of New York." The song, co-written by MacGowan and Jem Finer, remains a popular Christmas classic.
The genesis of the song reportedly originated from a bet that the singers could create a Christmas tune that was not overly sentimental. The track depicts a conversation between a couple on Christmas Day.
While specific figures are kept private by the Performing Rights Society, estimates in 2021 suggested the song's annual royalties were around £400,000 from radio play and streaming services. Music copyright lawyer Brad Banias has predicted that royalties could exceed £500,000 if the song were to reach number one on the Christmas charts. He anticipates a royalty rate of 10-20 percent split among the band, songwriters, and Kirsty MacColl's estate.
Despite its popularity, "Fairytale of New York" has never reached the number one spot on the UK charts, peaking at number two in 1987. It experienced a resurgence following MacGowan's death, with renewed efforts to get the song to the top of the charts in tribute to him and MacColl, who died in 2000. Despite reaching the top five, the song ultimately stalled at number six in that year. However, it consistently ranks as a favorite Christmas song in public polls, including a YouGov survey in 2020.