Shane MacGowan, The Pogues singer, rushed to hospital for unknown illness

The Pogues' legendary singer Shane MacGowan , smiling.
The Pogues' legendary singer Shane MacGowan is back in hospital. Photo credit: Twitter

The Pogues' singer Shane MacGowan has been rushed to hospital for an unknown illness, with his wife asking fans to "please send prayers" on social media.

MacGowan has been in and out of hospital over recent years for various medical conditions. He has been wheelchair-bound since breaking his pelvis in 2015.

His wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, shared a picture of MacGowan to social media and asked for fans' support during this time. 

"Please send prayers and healing vibes to @ShaneMacGowan in hospital again and really hoping to get out asap!! Thank you," she said.

However, she wouldn't be drawn on why he had been admitted and how long he would be in for, telling the Irish Mirror they just hoped he would be released "this week".

The pair have been married since 2018, with Johnny Depp attending their wedding in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"Not at Christmas, the man is the sound of Christmas... I hope he recovers swiftly and not too much discomfort" one fan said.

"Sending all love and positive vibes your way. Hope things turn out okay soon. I'll keep him in my prayers," another said.

In 2018, The Pogues frontman found his infamous Christmas song at the centre of a censorship debate after calls in the band's native Ireland to ban the festive classic over its use of the word 'f****t'.

MacGowan said at the time he was fine with radio stations bleeping out the slur in his band's Christmas song 'Fairytale of New York'.

National broadcaster RTÉ revealed at the time it was considering censoring a line in the song in which singer Kirsty MacColl spits the line "you scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy f****t". 

It came after two of its broadcasters publicly objected to the lyrics.