Shane McGowan’s poignant last photo as his wife shared fear of ‘losing him’

The last ever photo of Shane McGowan shows the legendary Irish singer sharing a loving kiss with his wife.

The much-loved Pogues star died at the age of 65 following decades of success in the music industry. Shane had spent recent years in and out of hospital with various health issues, but kept his fans updated on social media. His wife Victoria Mary Clarke also shared updates on her account, as she paid a heartbreaking tribute to the star.

Shane and Victoria tied the knot in 2018 at an intimate ceremony in Denmark, some 32 years after they started dating. He first meet journalist Victoria when she was just 16 years old. In what appears to be Shane’s last photo shared with fans two weeks ago, he kissed Victoria in his hospital bed.

She penned a heartfelt comment below the picture, where she shared her fear of losing Shane. Victoria wrote: “Love is the most beautiful and powerful thing that we can experience as humans but love can also feel painful especially if you are afraid of losing a person or anything else that you love.

“The really really big challenge that we all face is to go beyond what our minds think are the limits of love and what love really is. A lot of the time that thing we call love can more accurately be described as attachment or desire or need or longing or closeness or connection. And all of these are totally valuable and human and we need to acknowledge and appreciate and accept every part of our experience.

“But sometimes when you love very deeply you will find yourself facing terrifying fears of loss that can feel so big and devastating that you don’t know how you can survive them and you can’t imagine life without this person that you love. It’s in these moments when you are staring into the abyss that you have an opportunity to expand your consciousness beyond the limitations of your mind.”

She added: “You have an opportunity to discover more of who you really are and more of who your soul really is and more of your connection with this person who you love. You might alternate between terror and a sense of peace or a feeling of appreciation for what you have in the moment together or grace or gratitude for the love and support that is offered to help you by other people. Fear is an unknown place and this is what makes it so frightening, we make up stories about what is beyond the fear and they are not happy stories.

“But we can choose to stay present with everything that unfolds and to feel as much as possible in every moment and we can be surprised that there are more moments of beauty and grace and even joy than we ever imagined. Stay tuned in to love no matter what is happening in your world and keep inviting all of your angels and guides to support you and know that love is always the best choice!”

The Fairytale of New York singer’s death was announced on Thursday, with Victoria saying: “Shane will always be the light that I hold before me and the measure of my dreams and the love of my life”. Victoria was flooded with support as she announced the sad news on social media today.

Captioning a black-and-white picture of Shane holding a glass and a cigarette, taken during the singer’s younger years, Victoria told fans: “I don’t know how to say this so I am just going to say it. Shane who 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 has gone to be with Jesus and Mary and his beautiful mother Therese.

“I am blessed beyond words to have met him and to have loved him and to have been so endlessly and unconditionally loved by him and to have had so many years of life and love and joy and fun and laughter and so many adventures. There’s no way to describe the loss that I am feeling and the longing for just one more of his smiles that lit up my world. Thank you thank you thank you thank you for your presence in this world you made it so very bright and you gave so much joy to so many people with your heart and soul and your music. You will live in my heart forever. Rave on in the garden all wet with rain that you loved so much You meant the world to me.”

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