Kirsty MacColl: Fairytale of New York singer’s ex makes bombshell claim about pop star’s death 25 years on

The six-time Grammy-winning producer suggested Mexican supermarket tycoon Guillermo González Nova, who owned the 31-foot vessel involved, was responsible for the tragedy.

“They said that it was a young kid driving, but no one believes that,” Mr Lillywhite told the Sun.

“I think they just didn’t want to have an enormous lawsuit because he was one of the richest guys in Mexico.”

Ms MacColl had been scuba diving with her sons Jamie, then 15, and Louis, 14, at the Chankanaab reef, a protected marine zone where watercraft were prohibited.

As the family surfaced from their dive, a speedboat entered the restricted area at high speed.

Ms MacColl spotted the vessel heading towards Jamie and managed to push him clear, but was struck by the propellers and killed instantly.

Jamie suffered only minor injuries, with his oxygen tank absorbing much of the impact, while Louis escaped physical harm.

José Cen Yam, a 26-year-old employee of Mr Nova who did not hold a licence to operate such a vessel, claimed he had been driving at just one knot.

He was convicted of culpable homicide in 2003 but avoided a near three-year prison sentence by paying a fine of just £61.

Louis Lillywhite, now 39, has spoken of the lasting psychological impact of witnessing his mother’s death.

“It was such a traumatic thing and a lot of what happened is still a blur to me,” he told the Daily Express. “What I can say is it was really grim. I still have flashbacks. It was and is so graphic.”

The former restaurant owner, who lives in London, said he underwent extensive therapy after recognising destructive behavioural patterns in his twenties.

“I didn’t want to talk about the worst moment of my life with strangers when I was a teenager,” he explained, “but later I realised I had to deal with it.”

He remains frustrated by the outcome of the family’s lengthy legal battle.

“I feel that [Yam] was the fall guy and that no one was really held accountable for what happened,” Louis said.

“It was never about money, it was about someone taking responsibility.”

The Justice for Kirsty campaign, established by Ms MacColl’s mother Jean Newlove and backed by high-profile supporters including U2 frontman Bono, sought to challenge the official account through the Mexican courts.

Private investigators hired by the family uncovered evidence contradicting Mr Yam’s testimony, concluding that divers would have been able to push aside a boat travelling at the claimed speed of one knot.

The campaign was suspended following Mr Nova’s death in 2009, aged 92, with Jean acknowledging there was little prospect of further legal progress.

“This does not mean I am giving up,” she said at the time. “If anything turned up, I’d be there like a shot.”

Jean continued to campaign until her own death in 2017, aged 94.

To mark the anniversary, a newly released live recording of Fairytale of New York, mixed by Mr Lillywhite, captures the song’s first-ever live performance at Glasgow Barrowlands on December 17,1987.

“When Kirsty walked on, it was as much about her as it was about Fairytale of New York,” Mr Lillywhite said.

“Historically, she had stage fright, but she managed to get rid of it for this one version of the song.”

He chose to retain the crowd’s chants of “Kirsty! Kirsty!” on the remastered track, noting how deeply she was loved in Scotland despite being born in Croydon.

Christmas remains a difficult time for the family, with both Ms MacColl and Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan, who died in 2023, passing away close to the festive season.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Mr Lillywhite reflected. “When you hear Fairytale, it gives you a good feeling. It makes you think of Christmas and everything.”