British singer Kirsty MacColl dead at 41

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl has died in a boating accident in Mexico, her agent said Tuesday. She was 41.

It is believed the daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl and dancer Jean Newlove was swimming off the coast when she was run over by a speedboat.

MacColl first shot to fame in 1981 with her single, "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop (Swears He's Elvis)," and scored her biggest hit with the Pogues in 1987 with Christmas favorite, "Fairytale in New York."

"Pop music has always been my first love," she said in a recent interview with the Times newspaper. She collaborated with several bands including the Smiths, Talking Heads and Billy Bragg.

Her latest album, Tropical Brainstorm, released earlier this year, reflected influences from Brazil and Cuba and critics praised her latest live performances. She was due to present "Kirsty MacColl's Cuba," an eight-part series on the development of popular Cuban music which was scheduled to start on Wednesday on BBC Radio 2.

A spokesman for the channel said the series had been pre-recorded but it was unclear when they would now be broadcast.

MacColl is survived by two children from her marriage to producer Steve Lillywhite.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

V2 Music
Allmusic.com

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.