Fairytale of New York should be Christmas number one, says Shane MacGowan’s wife

'It absolutely should'

Victoria Mary Clarke confirmed the tragic news of his passing on Thursday, releasing a statement via Instagram in which she said he " meant the world" to her.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said she was "very much in favour" of the track, also featuring Kirsty MacColl, reaching the top spot.

Released in 1987, the Fairytale of New York has never reached Christmas number one - only ever getting as high as second in the charts.

Streaming has taken it back to the top 10 every Christmas for the past six years.

Following the recent announcement of the 65-year-old's passing, it is now climbing the chart again, and is at number 18 in this week's rundown.

Clarke, 57, compared Fairytale of New York's tumultuous love story with her own marriage to MacGowan.

"It's not [the romance that's] gone wrong - in the song, they still love each other," she said. "But life has gone wrong. I think that's what's probably a little bit similar to our story.

"We were both very much affected by his addiction, but you can still love, even when you're in that situation. And you can be very desperately unhappy as well as love."

Tributes poured in from around the world after MacGowan's death was announced with Bono, Paul Weller and numerous other some of those who paid their respects.

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