Fairytale of New York's Kirsty MacColl died by protecting her son in horror accident

Singer Kirsty MacColl’s tragic death came 13 years after she lent her vocals to The Pogues’ 1987 Christmas hit Fairytale of New York.

WARNING: Content of a disturbing nature ahead

13 years after the release of the Christmas song that many remember her for, Kirsty was killed while on holiday. She was visiting Cozumel, Mexico, with her family after filming a TV appearance in Cuba. She was enjoying time with her sons and boyfriend James Knight at the time she died.

Kirsty MacColl’s tragic death

The music star, 41 at the time of her untimely passing, was diving with her sons, Louis and Jamie in a reef. When they surfaced, a speedboat appeared despite them not being allowed in the area. It was traveling at a high speed, and though Louis, who was then 13, was not in the boat’s path, 15-year-old Jamie was.

Kirsty managed to push him out of the way in time, and he sustained minor rib and head injuries. Unfortunately, the celebrity’s brave act meant she lost her life in the incident. She died almost instantly and suffered injuries to her head and chest.

Founder of the Comercial Mexicana supermarket chain Carlos González Nova owned the boat, though it was being driven by an employee of his, José Cen Yam. Yam was found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to nearly three years in prison.

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However, he later avoided prison by paying just £61. A campaign, Justice for Kirsty was created by her loved ones. They urged a judicial review of the incident because of the lack of cooperation by the Mexican government.

Carlos González Nova died in 2009 at the age of 92. The campaign was dissolved, and her family donated the remaining funds to charities which she would have “approved of,” said her loved ones.

How Kirsty changed the beloved song Fairytale of New York

In a 2018 interview, Kirsty’s ex-husband, whom she shared her two children with, Steve Lillywhite spoke about the song Fairytale of New York. It has become a staple for this time of year, and was voted the nation’s favorite Christmas song in a recent poll.

Producer of the track, Steve, explained after hearing Kirsty’s vocals, Shane MacGowan re-recorded the song. He felt that his original ones didn’t match up to what she had done.

“I said, ‘I’ve got my studio at home, so we don’t have to use the expensive studio that you guys are paying for. I’ll do it over the weekend and come in on Monday and you’ll hear her’,” he explained

“I remember coming home with the tape on Saturday, and I spent the weekend working with her. It took that long because, to be honest, it’s a deceptively simple song to sing well. And the way Kirsty sang it, with her inflections, is very unique.

“Whenever I hear someone else sing the song now – they never get it the same way as Kirsty. We spent a long time getting every single note perfect. And we both knew, ‘We’ve got something here’.

“The Pogues were knocked out. Shane had thought he’d done his vocal right the first time, but it was obvious when he heard his against Kirsty’s that it just wasn’t up to scratch. So he re-did his vocal. The thing was – hearing her completely raised his game and changed the song.”

Shane MacGowan recently died after long hospital stay

23 years after Kirsty MacColl’s death, Shane, who was the lead singer of The Pogues, died in late November after suffering from a long illness.

Sharing a black and white photo of the star to Instagram, his wife Victoria paid tribute.

She wrote: “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 [red heart emoji] 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 [red heart emoji] and joy and fun and laughter and so many adventures.”

Victoria signed off with: “Rave on in the garden all wet with rain that you loved so much [red heart emojis] You meant the world to me.”

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