An undertaker in charge of the funeral reveals the Hollywood Vampires rocker insisted on carrying his late pal's coffin despite concerns from security, calling the last-minute change 'the right decision.'
- Dec 16, 2023
AceShowbiz - Johnny Depp was determined to carry late pal Shane MacGowan's wicker coffin, despite concerns from security. The Hollywood actor, 60, was the Pogues frontman's best man at his wedding to Victoria Mary Clarke in 2018, and the undertaker in charge of the funeral said he's glad they made the last-minute decision in honor of the "Fairytale of New York" hitmaker.
The security at the well-attended celebration of life at St Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, Tipperary, approached the Hollywood Vampires rocker as it wasn't "part of the plan." Philly Ryan told The Irish Sun, "When I saw the pride on his face as he carried Shane down the church, I knew I'd made the right decision."
"Johnny deserved to carry Shane's coffin. He was his best man. He was there for the right reasons," he added. "A security man rushed over and said, 'Johnny! This is not in the plan!' But Johnny told the security guy, 'No, I'm going to do this.' " Once inside, Johnny read one of the Prayers of the Faithful.
During the reading, "The Rum Diary" star paid his respects and admiration to Shane by labeling him as a musical "maestro." He said, "We pray for a deeper spirit and compassion in the world. May we feel the pain of others, understand their need and reach out to all who suffer in any way with a continuous love that is rooted in faith and peace."
Along with attending the funeral mass on December 8, Johnny was also at the official wake until the early hours of Saturday, December 9 morning at the Thatched Cottage Pub in Ballycommon with around 250 other mourners. He was also among thousands of people who signed the book of condolences on rip.ie, the obituary website dedicated to publishing death notices in Ireland.
Shane's widow has since described Johnny as "the most gracious of angels." Victoria thanked him for his support following the musician's death last month aged 65. In a lengthy and emotional Instagram post, she wrote, "[Johnny] is one of the most gracious of angels and I know that Shane really appreciated the way that he was so completely respectful, and accepting of every aspect of his being."
"[This was] even at times when a lot of people were dismissing him as being a hopeless addict and passed his prime. Seeing the adoration Johnny felt for Shane was a great source of encouragement and strength during some really tough times and I am eternally grateful to him for never seeing Shane as anything less than perfect and brilliant and beautiful."
She described the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor as a "tower of strength" for her during such a tough time. She added. "Thank you JD for being a tower of strength for me during these last few days and bless you from the bottom of my heart."
Victoria also spoke of the importance of "support and friendship" to turn grief into a "celebration of your loved one." She wrote. "People who are loyal and devoted friends will show up for you and they can give you tremendous strength if you let them. In our lives me and [Shane] have been blessed with a great many devoted friends who have helped us in all kinds of ways when we were struggling or we needed a bit of moral support."
