Fans mourn death of Pogues guitarist

Phil Chevron, the guitarist for The Pogues, has died aged 56.

Pogues manager Mark Addis says Chevron, whose real name was Philip Ryan, died today in Dublin after being treated for head and neck cancer.

The Dublin-born musician was a member of seminal Irish punk rockers The Radiators From Space before joining the London-based Pogues in the early 1980s.

The rumbustious band, fronted by singer Shane MacGowan, fused Irish traditional music, rock and punk into an exhilarating hybrid on albums such as Rum, Sodomy and the Lash and If I Should Fall From Grace With God.

Chevron wrote several well-known Pogues songs, including the Irish emigration ballad Thousands Are Sailing.

He is survived by his sister and his mother.

The Pogues’ management are contacting the band members and friends on behalf of the family, to inform them of the news.

Plans are being put in place for a memorial service, but no date has been set at this time.