Shane MacGowan RIP?

On the way home from Home Depot I was listening to NPR. I was delighted to hear that they were playing a Pogues song. I'm sad to say that I wasn't surprised to hear the announcer say that Shane MacGowan was dead. He didn't say how he'd died, but I was willing to bet that he'd died of some complication due to alcoholism. MacGowan is a notorious drunk. I have to say that I've never seen MacGowan sober. I was curious, so I decided to jump onto the internet once I got home. I'm actually not finding any recent news of MacGowan. The most interesting thing I could find was an article about MacGowan loosing two of his remaining teeth in a drinking mishap. Let's hope he's still alive and let's hope that he sees his 50th birthday next year. If you aren't familiar with The Pogues or Shane MacGownan you should check them out. Yes I know his voice sounds like the drunken lovemaking of a chicken and a cat, but consider some of my other favorite singers (Tom Waits, Mike Doughty).