I miss Kirsty McColl.

She's been gone nearly 20 years, and I still get tears of rage in my eyes thinking about the injustice of how she died, saving the life of her children as the son of one of Mexico's richest men came barreling through a clearly marked dive zone in a speed boat.

Kirsty MacColl


Kirsty MacColl at the Double Door in Chicago, March 1995

Background information
Birth name: Kirsty Anna MacColl
Born: 10 October 1959; Croydon, Surrey, England
Died: 18 December 2000 (aged 41); Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Website: kirstymaccoll.com

Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" and cover versions of Billy Bragg's "[iA New England]" and The Kinks' "Days". Her song "They Don't Know" was covered with great success by Tracey Ullman. MacColl also sang on recordings produced by her then-husband Steve Lillywhite, most notably "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues.

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Death

In 2000, following her participation in the presentation of a radio programme for the BBC in Cuba, MacColl took a holiday in Cozumel, Mexico, with her sons and her boyfriend, musician James Knight. On 18 December 2000, she and her sons went diving at the Chankanaab reef, part of the National Marine Park of Cozumel, in a designated diving area that watercraft were restricted from entering. With the group was a local veteran divemaster, Iván Díaz. As the group was surfacing from a dive, a powerboat moving at high speed entered the restricted area. MacColl saw the boat coming before her sons did. Louis, age 13 at the time, was not in its path, but Jamie, age 15, was. She was able to push him out of the way (he sustained minor head and rib injuries), but she was struck by the boat which ran over her. MacColl suffered severe chest injuries and died instantly. MacColl's body was repatriated to the United Kingdom and was cremated after a humanist funeral at Mortlake Crematorium in Kew.

Aftermath

The powerboat involved in the collision was controlled by Guillermo González Nova, multimillionaire president of the Comercial Mexicana supermarket chain, who was on board with members of his family. The boat was owned by Carlos González Nova, brother and founder of the chain. One employee of Guillermo González Nova, boathand José Cen Yam, stated that he was in control of the boat at the time of the incident. Eyewitnesses said that Cen Yam was not at the controls and that the boat was travelling much faster than the speed of one knot that González Nova said.

Cen Yam was found guilty of culpable homicide and was sentenced to 2 years 10 months in prison. He was allowed under Mexican law to pay a punitive fine of 1,034 pesos (about €63, £61 or US$90) in lieu of the prison sentence. He was also ordered to pay approximately US$2,150 in restitution to MacColl's family, an amount based on his wages. People who said they spoke to Cen Yam after the killing said he received money for taking the blame.

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Kirsty MacColl - There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis (TOTP 1981)
134,997 views Mar 27, 2016

softladification
33.3K subscribers

Kirsty MacColl - There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis (TOTP 1981)
Redubbed.

The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York
12,683,468 views Dec 13, 2006

niceandeasy
3.4K subscribers

St.Patrick's Day Live (1988)

John LaStrada 5 years ago

Just as a sad aside but one that many people should be aware of: The wonderful Kirsty MacColl must certainly today be an Angel for what she did in December 2000: While vacationing in Mexico & diving/swimming in a restricted area (for boats) MacColl saw a speeding boat come towards her sons before her sons did; while 13-year old Louis was not in the boat's path Kirsty saw that her 15-year old Jamie was in its path. Kirsty's quick thinking & instincts resulted in her successfully pushing Jamie out of the way of the speeding boat -- but, Kirsty was struck and killed. She saved her son's life. It's what a mother does. I always admired Kirsty for that tragic bravery...I know I won't forget her.

#ThePogues #FairytaleofNewYork #KirstyMacColl
Fairytale of New York (feat. Kirsty MacColl) [Top of The Pops Dec 1987]
1,538,133 views Dec 9, 2020

ThePoguesOfficial
94.9K subscribers

Watch The Pogues perform 'Fairytale of New York' with Kirsty MacColl on Top of the Pops for the first time. Recorded in December 1987.

Stream the single here: https://lnk.to/ThePogues_FONY

Containing the Irish legend's biggest hits spanning 1984 to 1996. Included among the 30 tracks is the nation's favorite Christmas song and 1million seller 'Fairytale of New York,' the top10 single 'Irish Rover,' as well as the classic 'Whiskey in the Jar' and fan favorite 'Fiesta.'

Website: http://www.pogues.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Poguetry
Twitter: https://twitter.com/poguesofficial

#ThePogues #FairytaleofNewYork #KirstyMacColl