Tragic story behind Kirsty MacColl’s death as man driving speedboat that killed her speaks out for first time
The tragic death of Kirsty MacColl is a topic of conversation that rears its head every Christmas.
It's been a quarter of a century since the 'Fairytale of New York' singer passed away in extremely devastating circumstances. Further entwining her name with the festive season, the deadly incident which took the life of the British singer, 41, occurred just seven days before 25 December.
25 years on from the horror speedboat crash that killed her, the man who was driving the vessel has now spoken out for the first time. Jose Cen Yam, who was found guilty of culpable homicide following MacColl's death, claimed that he was behind the wheel when the singer was struck - and he has now shared his side of the tragic story.
Who was Kirsty MacColl?
As the daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl and dancer Jean Newlove, MacColl had music in her DNA.
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The Croydon-born star first came onto the scene in 1978 when lending her vocals to a song with a local punk rock band, which ended up earning her a record deal with Stiff Records. Her debut single They Don't Know peaked at number two on the charts after its release in 1979.
After releasing a few singles, she left the label and joined Polydor Records, which is when her success really started to skyrocket.
MacColl, who also lent her singing talents to the likes of The Smiths and Simple Minds with backing vocals, went on to churn out other hits such as There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis. But her big break finally came in 1987 following the release of The Pogues Christmas anthem Fairytale of New York, thrusting her into the mainstream spotlight.
Just 13 years after recording her iconic duet with the late Shane MacGowan, who died in November 2023, news broke that MacColl's life had tragically been cut short.
How did Kirsty MacColl die?
MacColl has been recording a radio show in Cuba for the BBC when she decided to extend her trip and travel to Cozumel, Mexico, with her boyfriend James Knight and her two sons Louis, then 13, and Jamie, who was age 15.
On 18 December, 2000, they went diving in the Chankanaab reef, in an area where watercraft were restricted from entering.
But as the mum-of-two resurfaced with her boys, they spotted a speedboat veering towards them - and she admirably pushed her children out of harms way. Sadly, MacColl shouldered the impact and ended up being struck by one of the speedboats propellers, leaving her with unsurvivable injuries to her head and chest.
Her youngest son Louis later harrowingly recalled how he was left 'swimming in Mummy's blood', adding: "I screamed that she'd been hit, and to swim the other way and not look back."
According to an autopsy carried out in London by forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd, MacColl died instantly. She was cremated following a funeral service at Mortlake Crematorium in Kew on 20 January, 2001.
What has the speedboat driver said?
Jose Cen Yam is a former deckhand who worked for Carlos González Nova, the founder of the Comercial Mexicana supermarket chain and the brother of the chain's multimillionaire president, Guillermo González Nova.
Breaking his silence on the incident that led to MacColl's death, he has insisted that the contents of his police statement from 25 years ago spells out the 'truth' about what happened.
Despite speculation that he may have taken the fall for someone else, Cen Yam defiantly told the Mail on Sunday: "It was me. I have always told the truth about this."
Recalling the fateful day he careered into the singer, he claimed the speedboat was travelling at 'about five miles an hour'.
"I didn't see anyone in the water, no one," Cen Yam said. "But then I heard a propeller make a very strange noise. It was really weird, a whirring like something hit it.
"There was no bang in the boat, just the noise of a propeller doing this weird stuff. I thought, 'I've gone over something'. So I slowed and went to the back of the boat and I saw her there."
He said there was 'nothing he could do' to try and help her as MacColl's injuries were so severe, although he clung onto a portion of her scuba gear for around 30 minutes to ensure she didn't float away.
"I didn't pull her body out of the water, we just had to let her be there until help came," Cen Yam said, while adding: "I don't feel shame over this. It was an accident. I don't feel it was my fault."
He was sentenced to two years and ten months in prison after being found guilty of culpable homicide, but ultimately dodged jail time after instead paying a fine of $90 (approximately £60 in 2000).
What has MacColl's ex said about an alleged ‘cover-up’?
Although Cen Yam has taken the blame for driving the speedboat and careering into MacColl, her former husband doesn't believe this is actually what happened.
Music producer Steve Lillywhite, 70, has sensationally claimed that 'no one believes' that the ex-deckhand was actually responsible for her death.
Speaking to The Sun, the father of MacColl's sons 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."
Discussing how the family cope with the constant reminders of MacColl at Christmas, he explained hearing her vocals on 'Fairytale of New York' is 'bittersweet' for him and his kids.
"It’s a bittersweet feeling because when you hear Fairytale, it does give you a good feeling. It makes you think of Christmas and everything," Lillywhite, who produced the hit track, said.
"And you know, we can’t bring Kirsty or Shane back, but it also reminds us of those people who have passed. They both died near Christmas. That’s the weird thing."
Despite suggestions that Cen Yam was not driving the speedboat, the married grandad insists that nobody 'put pressure on him to admit to anything he didn't do'.
Topics: Celebrity, Christmas, Celebrity News, Music, News
Olivia Burke