Shane MacGowan has died aged 65

Shane MacGowan has died following a recent hospital stay after being diagnosed with encephalitis.

The singer-songwriter and front man of The Pogues was 65 and had been unwell for some time. He had been using a wheelchair since a fall in 2015.

Hit hits include 1987's Fairytale of New York and A Pair of Brown Eyes.

MacGowan also had well-documented problems with drugs and alcohol.

His wife Victoria Mary Clarke said on Instagram that MacGowan "meant the world to me".

"I don't know how to say this so I am just going to say it. Shane... has gone to be with Jesus and Mary and his beautiful mother Therese."

She said MacGowan "will always be the light that I hold before me and the measure of my dreams and the love of my life and the most beautiful soul and beautiful angel and the sun and the moon and the start and end of everything that I hold dear".

A statement from MacGowan's spokesperson confirmed he "died peacefully at 3.30am this morning (30 November) with his wife and sister by his side".

"Prayers and the last rites were read during his passing," he added.

On 22 November, Clarke said he had left hospital, and just a few days later she said they celebrated their wedding anniversary, and were grateful they were "still alive".

Tributes have been flooding social media from politicans to artists. 

'Fairytale Of New York by The Pogues is a lyrical act of dizzying scope and power – and rightfully takes its place as the greatest Christmas song ever made. It stands side by side with any great song, from any era.

Not only for his audacity or his deep empathy, but for his surprising technical brilliance. It speaks with deep compassion to the marginalized and the poor. It doesn't have a patronizing tone, but it speaks its truth, stark and raw. It is a magnificent gift for the outcast, the unfortunate and the brokenhearted.

We empathize with the difficulties of the two rebellious characters, who live their lonely and desperate lives against all Christmas promises such as home and home, food, abundance and gratitude. It's a text full of truth – and I've always felt privileged to be friends with its creator, Shane MacGowan.' Nick Cave