Inside Shane MacGowan and Johnny Depp’s unlikely friendship and how the pair met: Late Pogues rocker ‘worshipped’ actor who played a special part in his funeral

Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan’s funeral was held in Hollywood as his good friend Johnny Depp paid his respects at the service in Dublin on Friday.

The 60-year-old Hollywood star was entrusted with reading one of the prayers at the service after the Fairytale of New York singer died on November 30.

Johnny wore a black suit, hat and scarf and dark sunglasses as he arrived at St Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, after around 30,000 mourners lined the city’s streets to pay their respects.

Depp and McGowan were friends for more than 30 years after a chance meeting in a pub, but immediately “fell in love with each other.”

Read more about their faithful friendship below…

Johnny Depp and Shane MacGowan were friends for more than 30 years after a chance meeting in a pub but immediately “fell in love”.

How did Johnny Depp and Shane MacGowan meet?

Depp and McGowan were friends for more than 30 years after a chance meeting in a pub, but immediately “fell in love” (pictured in 1994).

The Hollywood star was among those set to read prayers at the Pogues frontman’s service following the Fairytale of New York singer’s death on November 30.

In 2020, Depp said: “When I met Shane, he was talking about the pool table. In this hand was a drink, a pint, and in this hand was a guitar.

“And he was balancing back and forth, trying to decide which way to fall. I watched him do this for about 15 minutes.

“Then I was introduced to him before he fell and from that moment on you just knew… there are times in life when you know it’s going to happen once and only once when you get the chance to spend time with greatness.

“Having known him for a long time, I can only say that I fell in love with him the second I met him and I still love him.”

Inside the friendship of Johnny Depp and Shane MacGowan

McGowan died on November 30 after returning home from hospital with a brain condition – his wife Victoria shared a photo of him in his hospital bed above.

Pictured: Shane McGowan’s funeral procession in Dublin ahead of his funeral on December 8.

Depp said: “I was introduced to him and from that moment you just knew… there are times in life when you know it’s going to happen once and only once.”

Depp arrived at St Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, after around 30,000 people gathered in Dublin to pay tribute to the late rock star.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star serenaded Shane and his wife Victoria at their wedding in Copenhagen in 2018.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star serenaded Shane and his wife Victoria at their wedding in Copenhagen in 2018.

“His wife Victoria is a wonderful partner for Shane,” Depp said, “They are best friends and I have seen that continue over the years, despite all sorts of pressures.”

Both are music fans and the actor even played guitar in The Pogues’ 1994 Top of the Pops performance of That Woman Made Me Drink.

He also produced the 2020 documentary Pot of Gold – A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan, directed by Julien Temple and telling the story of MacGowan’s career.

The documentary inspired a new wave of Pogues fans around the world and won a special jury prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie and former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams also helped produce the film.

In 2022, the rock star and his wife publicly supported Depp during his libel trial against Amber Heard.

In an open letter, McGowan wrote: “Hi Johnny, I often think you’re the brother Vic and I never had!”

“Don’t even worry about people hitting you or lying about you. You are a brilliant actor and a great musician, and you have a huge army of fans who love you, including me and everyone I know.

“So keep doing what you’re doing. People who talk to me always ask about you, and I say I can’t talk about you, but I’m pretty sure you’re happy, and to use a rock ‘n’ roll cliché, to hell with the unhappy ones.”

Last June, the couple also shared a message for Depp, wishing him a happy 60th birthday.

The Instagram post read: “Happy birthday to the beautiful @johnnydepp!” We’re so glad this handsome dude is having fun doing something he loves and we’re so proud of him for everything he’s brought to our lives and the world.

“So much incredible art, music, film and writing, not to mention his unique and endlessly creative approach to clothing, accessories and of course hair!!! No matter how bored, behind or uninspired you feel, you only need to spend a minute in the sunlight of his presence to start feeling inspired and more importantly, start feeling special, important and worth something.

“It may be that this rare and precious gift he has of making everyone (well, almost everyone!) feel loved by him is his gift, but of course his gifts and talents are still unknown and unknowable and are constantly being revealed. To remain alive after so many years of living beyond the fullest and exuding creativity in every moment is truly a wonderful miracle!!!

“Now JD is redefining what it means to be 60, and 20-year-olds don’t have a chance to keep up!” We LOVE and ADORE this man from the tips of his ears to his toenails and are honored to have benefited from his magnificent spirit in so many ways that we can’t even count the ways. Bless you and keep the faith dear Johnny and happy birthday to your fans Victoria and Shane.”