‘It was a cover up’: Kirsty MacColl’s ex-husband speaks out 25 years on from Fairytale of New York singer’s death… and says she was ‘killed by speedboat driven by the richest man in Mexico’
It’s 25 years since Fairytale of New York singer Kirsty MacColl tragically died at the hands of a speedboat driver in a haunting ocean accident.
And a quarter of a century on, the beloved pop star’s death remains shrouded in mystery, with her family members and celebrities alike continuing to probe what happened on that chilling day off the picturesque island of Cozumel in Mexico.
As a new version of Kirsty’s smash Christmas hit with Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan – who died this time two years ago – is released with mixing by Kirsty’s former husband Steve Lillywhite, the singer’s ex has revealed his theory.
In a bombshell interview with The Sun, acclaimed producer Steve argued that a cover-up hid the truth behind the crash in the Caribbean Sea.
The 31ft speedboat mowed Kirsty down as she paddled in the warm water with her and Lillywhite’s two sons Jamie and Louis, then aged 15 and 14.
Her ex-husband, now 70, suggested the tragedy could be traced back to billionaire Mexican businessman Guillermo González Nova, who owned the boat.
He said: ‘They said that it was a young kid driving, but no one believes that.
‘I think they just didn’t want to have an enormous lawsuit because he was one of the richest guys in Mexico.’
Kirsty MacColl, right, pictured with then husband Steve Lillywhite. Her ex has cast new doubts on the official story given for her death
The singer pictured with Shane MacGowan while promoting their Christmas hit Fairytale of New York circa 1987. Steve’s comments come as he releases a re-recording of the song
One of Nova’s employees, Jose Cen Yam, who was aged 26 at the time, claimed he was driving the powerful vehicle, even though he did not possess a licence for it.
He told a court he was only driving at one knot (around one mph), just a quarter of the speed limit on those waters.
Yam added that Kirsty had swam outside the protected zone when she and son Jamie, who was surfacing from a scuba dive, were struck by the boat.
The alleged perpetrator got away with a fine of just £61, an amount which spared him a two years-and-10-months jail sentence handed down after he was convicted of culpable homicide in 2003.
The singer’s elderly mother Jean Newlove set up a Justice for Kirsty campaign, supported by friends including U2 icon Bono.
The group set about trying to organise judicial appeals by hiring private detectives to investigate the case.
They discovered that had the driver been travelling at one knot then divers would have been able to push the boat out of the way.
After billionaire Nova died in 2009 aged 92, Jean gave up the official campaign probing her daughter’s death.
Her ex-husband, now 70, suggested the tragedy could be traced back to billionaire Mexican businessman Guillermo González Nova, pictured, who owned the boat
Both the couple’s sons, Jamie and Louis, pictured, were in the sea at the time of their mother’s tragic death in 2000
Steve immediately raced to Mexico from the United States when he heard the news about his ex Kirsty, with whom he had separated in 1997.
Promoting the new recording of Fairytale Of New York, which shot to number two in the charts in 1987, he reflected on a time of year which is still tough for him and the children.
The six-time Grammy winner admitted that Kirsty’s festive hit still reminds him of his former partner, who died at this time of year.
‘It’s a bittersweet feeling because when you hear Fairytale, it does give you a good feeling,’ he said. ‘It makes you think of Christmas and everything.’
The pair had tied the knot in 1984, three years after Kirsty’s breakthrough hit There’s a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis.
Kirsty had travelled to Cozumel for a holiday after presenting a BBC radio show in Cuba.
She would have expected to be safe in the scuba diving area, given that speedboats were banned from that specific zone.
As the boat raced towards her, she bravely dived to push her children out of the way but she was killed instantly by its propellors.
Kirsty pictured with her two sons and mother Jean, who ran the Justice for Kirsty campaign investigating the star’s death
Jamie received minor injuries, his oxygen tank taking the worst of the impact, while Louis was physically unscathed.
Also there was Kirsty’s then boyfriend James Knight, much younger than her at 26, and Steve reflected on how tough a time this would have been for the young musician, especially given the public attention.
People have long questioned whether business giant Nova had been driving the boat and, despite giving up the campaign in 2009, mother Jean vowed to capitalise on any new developments that might arise. She later died aged 94 in 2017.
Steve admitted that the family has had to learn to accept the frustrating ruling and expressed his hope that if anyone was saved by the awareness raised by the campaign then it was worth it.
