The Pogues announce death of drummer Andrew Ranken with ‘deep sadness’

Celtic punk-folk group The Pogues have announced the death of their drummer Andrew Ranken, aged 72, with “deep sadness”.

Ranken joined the London-formed group in 1983 and played on some of the group’s best known songs such as Fairytale Of New York, Dirty Old Town and their rendition of The Irish Rover, which featured The Dubliners.

A statement posted on The Pogues social media accounts read: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andrew Ranken, drummer, founding member, and heartbeat of The Pogues.

“Andrew, thank you for everything, for your friendship, your wit and your generosity of spirit, and of course for the music, forever a true friend and brother.

“Our thoughts and love are with his family at this sad and difficult time.”

Nicknamed “The Clobberer”, Ranken also played on some of their most critically acclaimed albums such as Red Roses For Me (1984), Rum Sodomy And The Lash (1985) and If I Should Fall From Grace With God (1988).

He also provided vocals for the group, and sang lead on the band’s song Worms, which is the final track on If I Should Fall From Grace With God, and also played on the albums Peace And Love (1989), Hell’s Ditch (1990), Waiting For Herb (1993), and Pogue Mahone (1996).

The band – which in its best known incarnation featured a core group made up of late singer Shane MacGowan, bassist Cait O’Riordan, singer and tin whistle player Spider Stacy, banjo player Jem Finer, accordion player James Fearnley, and Ranken – broke up in 1996.

They reformed in 2001 and Ranken performed with the band until their second split in 2014.

Frontman MacGowan died in November 2023, and the band has performed with a line-up of Stacy, Finer and Fearnley since 2024, performing Red Roses For Me and Rum Sodomy And The Lash in full to celebrate their 40th anniversaries.