Shane MacGowan spent the majority of his life walking on the dark side, which ultimately formed his decision to never have children. “I wouldn’t wish myself on any kid as a father,” MacGowan reportedly once told The Telegraph (via The Mirror). However, it has to be noted that in their obituary, The Telegraph reports that MacGowan and his longtime partner-turned-wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, never had any kids together, but it’s believed that he “fathered several with other women, though he never knew how many.”
Still, Clarke was adamant that they weren’t made of good parenting stock. She told The Guardian that when their close friend, Johnny Depp, suggested they should have kids, she shot him down in flames. “I said the thing is, if we had children, Shane would probably set fire to them,” Clarke recounted. “I was terrified Shane was going to burn down the house because he was always dropping his cigarettes. He set fire to John Belushi’s bungalow at Chateau Marmont.”
Read Related Also: Kyrsten Sinema: Failure Is Not an Option in Border Security Negotiations
By the time MacGowan burst onto the punk rock scene, he was already in the grips of substance use disorder. The Independent reports that he had his first tipple of Guinness when he was just 5 years old. He was expelled from school for selling drugs and checked into the Bethlem Royal Psychiatric Hospital after suffering a Valium-related breakdown during art college. MacGowan struggled with bouts of anxiety and depression throughout his adult life in addition to battling addiction.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
