Andrew Ranken, drummer and a founding member of London-based Celtic punk band the Pogues, has died. He was 72.
The “heartbeat of The Pogues” died Tuesday, his longtime bandmates announced in a statement posted Wednesday on Instagram.
“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,” Jem Finer, James Fearnley and Spider Stacy wrote in their tribute. “Our thoughts and love are with his family at this sad and difficult time.”
Nicknamed the Clobberer, Ranken was born on Nov. 13, 1953, in London. He began playing drums at 14 and joined the Pogues in 1983 after being approached by the band’s late frontman Shane MacGowan, according to the Irish Times. He also performed with bands such as Lola Cobra, the Stickers and the Operation.
Known for songs such as “A Pair of Brown Eyes,” “Streams of Whiskey” and the popular Christmas hit “Fairytale of New York,” the Pogues fused traditional Irish music with punk attitude and energy for their unique, folk-blended sound.
“The Pogues celebrated Irish culture and addressed Irish-English relations and immigrant experiences in originals and traditional numbers often ratcheted up to a feverish, twitching pitch,” former Times writer Natalie Nichols wrote in a 2006 concert review of “the famously working-class, politically minded band.”
In addition to drums, Ranken played the harmonica and provided vocals for the group. He performed with the Pogues until the band called it quits in 1996 after several key members — including original frontman MacGowan — departed the band for various reasons, including alcohol issues. He rejoined the band when it reunited in 2001 and played with them until 2014.
The Pogues had reunited again in 2024 without Ranken and toured last year for the 40th anniversary of the band’s 1985 album “Rum Sodomy & the Lash,” which Ranken was credited with naming.
In a tribute posted on Instagram, MacGowan’s wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, praised Ranken for “braving all the beer-swilling, pogo-jumping, underground illegal drinking joints the fledgling band played and developing his own unique style of a warrior drumbeat.”
“Without him the Pogues could never have developed their battle-ready rhythm and sound,” Clarke wrote. “He truly was the heartBEAT of the band. He remained a true and loyal friend through all of his life.”
According to Clarke, Ranken died following a “long and brave battle with illness.”
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