Tragic Kirsty MacColl's 'Fairytale of New York' Royalties Secrets Revealed 25 Years After Her Horrific Powerboat Death 

Kirsty MacColl's legacy continues to resonate each Christmas, and the tragic circumstances of her death and the management of her estate remain subjects of fascination more than two decades later.

OK! can reveal the "Fairytale of New York" singer, who was just 41 when she died, left a fortune and a catalog of royalties behind.

MacColl, born in Croydon, England, made her name as a gifted singer-songwriter, best known for her collaboration with the late Shane MacGowan on "Fairytale," released 13 years before her death.

She was tragically killed on December 19, 2000, while on holiday in Cozumel, Mexico, with her two sons Louis and Jamie and her partner, musician James Knight. The family was diving at Chankanaab Reef when MacColl heroically pushed Jamie out of the path of a speeding powerboat entering a restricted area.

The boat struck MacColl, killing her instantly. It belonged to wealthy businessman Guillermo Gonzalez Nova, though a crew member, Jose Cen Yam, ultimately took responsibility.

MacColl's former husband, producer Steve Lillywhite, suggested that the official account may have been manipulated. "They said that it was a young kid driving, but no one believes that," he recently said adding: "I think they just didn't want to have an enormous lawsuit because he was one of the richest guys in Mexico."

OK! can reveal three years before her death, on March 27, 1997, MacColl wrote a will distributing her fortune of $2.3 million between those closest to her. Initially, she planned to leave $27,000 to Lazaro Laza Antunez in Cuba and $68,000 to her brother, Hamish MacColl.

She also allocated $1,350 to friends Anne, Kieran, Juliett Guiot and Frances Tiplady should her children survive her – with amounts rising to $13,500 if no children survived. Her will also included provisions for her trustees to manage remaining assets, covering her debts, funeral expenses and legacies to her children – Jamie Patrick MacColl, Louis Stephen MacColl, and any further offspring – as well as her mother Jean and brother Hamish.

In August 2000, the performer updated her will, removing the Cuban beneficiary and leaving her Stroud property to Hamish, with the remainder of her estate to be divided between her children and James, after care for her mother and brother. She also retained $1,350 legacies for friends and left all her studio equipment to James.

Kirsty's mother, Jean, recalled her anger over how Mexican authorities handled the accident that led to her daughter's death, with the boat's hand fined just $90.

She said in 2014: "It was $90, a trivial amount. I had to tell her sons on Mother's Day that that's all their mother's life was valued at. I was angry, I'm still angry. All I wanted was the truth. I didn't want his money; it's dirty. I just wanted him to tell me the truth, but he didn't have the nerve or the courage. I even wrote him a letter saying I just wanted the truth, but he never replied. I despise him completely. I don't know how he can live with himself."

Kirsty's contributions to music continue to be celebrated, including by Shane, who died in 2023 at 65 after a lifetime of boozing.

Reflecting on their enduring "Fairytale" hit, he said: "I'm very grateful to Christ and his Holy Mother and Joseph and all the saints, including my family who have passed on, for the success of 'Fairytale.' And I was very grateful to Kirsty MacColl – I don't think it would have been such a big hit without her contribution."

A new version of "Fairytale of New York," mixed by Steve, is set to be released this year, ensuring Kirsty's voice and legacy remain central to the seasonal classic.