The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan has died at the age of 65 after being diagnosed with encephalitis.

The musician, who was born in Tunbridge Wells and grew up in Langton Green, had been receiving care in St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin for an infection but was discharged last week ahead of his upcoming birthday on Christmas Day.

He revealed he had been diagnosed with encephalitis last year in a video posted to social media on New Year’s Eve.

He had used a wheelchair since 2015 after injuring himself in a fall.

Shortly after leaving hospital earlier this month, he celebrated his wedding anniversary with wife Victoria Mary Clarke, and declared they were grateful they were "still alive".

Today his wife shared a black and white photo on Instagram of MacGowan from his younger years, smoking and holding a wine glass.

Alongside the post, she wrote: “I don’t know how to say this so I am just going to say it.

"Shane... has gone to be with Jesus and Mary and his beautiful mother Therese.

“Shane who will always be the light that I hold before me and the measure of my dreams and the love of my life and the most beautiful soul and beautiful angel and the sun and the moon and the start and end of everything that I hold dear has gone to be with Jesus and Mary and his beautiful mother Therese.

“I am blessed beyond words to have met him and to have loved him and to have been so endlessly and unconditionally loved by him and to have had so many years of life and love and joy and fun and laughter and so many adventures.

“There’s no way to describe the loss that I am feeling and the longing for just one more of his smiles that lit up my world.

“Thank you thank you thank you thank you for your presence in this world you made it so very bright and you gave so much joy to so many people with your heart and soul and your music.

“You will live in my heart forever. Rave on in the garden all wet with rain that you loved so much. You meant the world to me.”

Most famous for his festive hit Fairytale of New York and renowned for his hard-living, which included well-documented problems with drugs and alcohol, MacGowan was born on Christmas Day in Pembury Hospital and privately-educated at Holmwood House School, in Langton Green.

Shane’s former music teacher at Holmwood House Tony Pape remembered him in an interview with Kent Online last December.

Mr Pape, who also taught EastEnders composer Simon May, said: "I remember Shane MacGowan at Holmewood House when he organised a protest with his class.

"It was against a local hunt which was gathering at the school before setting off.”

Seven years ago the MacGowan family faced tragedy when the singer’s mother Therese, 87, died in a car crash on New Year's Day in Ballintogher, Tipperary.

Fairytale of New York was first penned in 1985 and would eventually hit the charts in 1987 with the singer Kirsty MacColl sharing vocal duties.

One of the nation’s best-loved Christmas songs it has been controversially absent from radio playlists in recent years due to some of the outdated language used.

The news comes 23 years after MacColl died in a speedboat accident while on holiday with her family on December 18.