Steve Lillywhite, the ex-husband of Kirsty MacColl, has opened up about the singer’s death 25 years after she was horrifically killed while swimming in the ocean with her sons
Kirsty MacColl’s ex-husband has claimed there was a “cover-up” surrounding her death in 2000.
The Fairytale of New York songstress was just 41 when she tragically died in a horror boating accident. She was holidaying with her sons, Louis and Jamie, and boyfriend James Knight in Mexico ahead of Christmas.
25 years ago to the day, Kirsty and her sons were diving at the Chankanaab reef in the Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park, where boats had been restricted from entering. When surfacing from the dive, Kirsty noticed a powerboat entering the area, with her son, Jamie, 15, in its path.
She managed to push her son out of the way, and he only suffered minor injuries to his ribs and head. However, the boat struck and instantly killed Kirsty, leaving her with fatal chest injuries. The 31-foot boat had been owned by the late Mexican businessman Guillermo González Nova, who died in 2009.
Some locals believed that Nova had been behind the wheel of the boat. But it was his employee, Jose Cen Yam, then 26, who claimed he’d been at the wheel – despite not having a license to drive it.
He was convicted of culpable homicide in 2003 and handed two years and ten months behind bars. But he avoided this by paying just £61. Yam claimed he’d been driving at one knot, a quarter of the four-knot speed limit in the area.
But Steve Lillywhite, Kirsty’s ex-husband has now spoken out and believes it’s not true. Kirsty and Steve divorced in 1994 but remained close.
“They said that it was a young kid driving, but no one believes that,” he said. Speaking to The Sun, he added: “I think they just didn’t want to have an enormous lawsuit because he was one of the richest guys in Mexico.”
Kirsty’s mother, the late Jean Newlove, launched the Justice for Kirsty campaign after her death, with the likes of Bono attempting to organise appeals. Jean hired private detectives to investigate her daughter’s death – they claimed that had the boat been travelling at one knot, it could have been pushed out of the way.
Steve said that the campaign was “really being pushed” by Kirsty’s mum, until she decided there was “not really any hope”. Nova died in the same year that Jean had ended her bid for justice.
Her son Louis also believes his famous mum’s death was a cover up. “It was such a traumatic thing and a lot of what happened is still a blur to me,” he said.
Speaking previously to the Mirror, he said: “What I can say is it was really grim. I can’t remember the exact details of that trip to Mexico but I can remember being in the water and thinking, ‘Where’s Jamie?’
“He and I have spoken about it from time to time and I still have flashbacks. It was and is so graphic. We could only have been in the water a few minutes afterwards before they got us out. I don’t really remember too much.” After Kirsty’s death, he underwent therapy, which he says has helped him.
“I feel that [Yam] was the fall guy and that no one was really held accountable for what happened,” Louis said. And he remains angry, adding: “We spent many years as a family trying to get justice. I think we managed to raise awareness and, if it saved just one person, I am happy about that, but what we would have liked was some accountability.”
Louis also insisted: “It was never about money, it was about someone taking responsibility.”
He believes that his mother would be “annoyed” that the song she’s most famous for is a Christmas hit. “At least it isn’t a cringe one,” he said. He added: “I have been in pubs in Ireland and Fairy Tale has come on and the whole place just turns into a party. It gives out good vibes.
“When one of my mum’s songs comes on the radio, it is a double-edged sword for me though, but it is always wonderful to hear her voice again.” But for Kirsty’s anniversary, today, Louis and his dad Steve will “go out to dinner” and raise a glass and play Fairytale of New York, which he will repeat on Christmas Day.
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