Kirsty MacColl's ex-husband speaks out 25 years on from 'Fairytale of New York' singer's death with huge claim
Joe Yates
Featured Image Credit: Getty/ Ian Dickson/Redferns
Kirsty MacColl's ex-husband has blasted the circumstances around the 'Fairytale of New York' singer's death.
On December 18, 2000, MacColl was vacationing with her two sons, Jamie and Louis, aged 15 and 14, whom she shared with her ex Steve Lillywhite, on the picturesque Caribbean island of Cozumel.
The 41-year-old had just emerged from a scuba dive with both children off the paradise island in a protected zone, when a 31-foot speedboat hurtled towards MacColl, Jamie, and Louis.
MacColl managed to push them largely out of the way of the propeller, although Jamie's oxygen tank was struck, taking the brunt of the impact, and he suffered minor injuries as a result.
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However, the singer took more of a direct hit and was killed almost instantly, suffering serious injuries to her head and chest.
A Mexican businessman named Carlos González Nova owned the boat, but a man named José Cen Yam told the authorities that he had been driving the vessel, though he wasn't licensed to do so.
Yam was found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison, but he avoided it by paying an $80 fine; however, Lillywhite claims that 'no one believes' he was actually driving the boat.
He told The Sun: "They said that it was a young kid driving, but no one believes that. I think they just didn’t want to have an enormous lawsuit because he was one of the richest guys in Mexico."
MacColl's mom, Jean Newlove, launched a campaign, which was backed by the likes of U2, to put together a judicial appeal, even hiring private detectives to look into the case.
González Nova died back in 2009, with Jean also passing away eight years later after ending her quest for answers in 2009.
Lilywhite said: "The campaign was basically really being pushed by Kirsty’s mum. And when she decided that there was not really any hope, and she was old, it ended.
“I think you just have to sometimes accept that life isn’t fair, and you have to move on."
He, who produced MacColl's hit Christmas single with The Pogues, also told the publication that hearing 'Fairytale of New York' was 'bittersweet'.
"It’s a difficult time for me and the kids," the six-time Grammy award-winner added.
"It’s a bittersweet feeling because when you hear Fairytale, it does give you a good feeling. It makes you think of Christmas and everything.
"And you know, we can’t bring Kirsty or Shane back, but it also reminds us of those people who have passed. They both died near Christmas. That’s the weird thing."