The singer-songwriter’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke told the story during her eulogy – sparking laughs from attendees.
Irish music legend Shane MacGowan’s funeral mass took place in Nenagh in Tipperary on Friday (December 8), the town where the Pogues frontman spent his early childhood.
Several artist friends of MacGowan’s – including Aidan Gillen, Bob Geldof, Glen Hansard, Imelda May, Johnny Depp, Lisa O’Neill and Nick Cave attended the ceremony, which featured a number of musical performances of the singer-songwriter’s songs including ‘A Rainy Night in Soho’ and ‘Fairytale of New York’.
However, another noteworthy moment during the mass was when McGowan’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke brought up during her eulogy the topic of Depp’s bitter divorce from his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard.
Depp and Heard married in 2015 before the pair divorced two years later and subsequently became embroiled in two lengthy, high-profile defamation cases – including 2022’s widely publicised Depp v. Heard trial.
Speaking about MacGowan’s religious beliefs, Clarke said: “He loved and respected every religious text he could get his hands on. I think that’s pretty unique.
“And I suppose he distilled the essence of that into love. I mean, he just loved humanity and he believed that God is love and ultimately God is compassion and God is forgiveness.
“So Shane… he started to really, really, really forgive everybody, everything immediately.”
Singling out Depp, a smiling Clarke then said: “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, Johnny, but when Johnny had a court case involving his ex-wife Amber, Shane had a long conversation with you, didn’t he?
“And urged you to forgive Amber. Yeah, he just thought it was the best thing to do because he just believed genuinely in forgiveness.
Speaking again directly to The Pirates of the Caribbean star, she asked: “I’m sure you have by now, haven’t you? Of course you have, of course you have,” before laughing.
“[Shane] just wouldn’t hold a grudge against anyone. He just wouldn’t see the bad in anyone,” his wife added.
Clarke’s comments about Depp and Heard were met with chuckles from attendees at the funeral mass.
Related links:
Fairytale of New York should be Christmas number one, says Shane MacGowan’s wife
The Pogues insulting Laurence Fox is being reshared following Shane MacGowan’s death
Shane MacGowan once spoke out over homophobic slur controversy in Fairytale of New York
