Exactly 25 years after Kirsty MacColl was tragically killed in a speedboat accident while swimming with her sons in Mexico, her ex-husband Steve Lillywhite is speaking out, and he’s pointing the finger directly at one of Mexico’s most powerful men.
MacColl, best known for her timeless Christmas hit 'Fairytale of New York', was on vacation with her teenage sons Jamie and Louis near Cozumel on December 18, 2000, when a 31ft speedboat ploughed into them in a designated diving zone.
She managed to push her children out of harm’s way but was killed instantly by the boat’s propellers.
Now, music producer Lillywhite, the father of MacColl’s two sons, claims billionaire supermarket tycoon Guillermo González Nova, the owner of the boat and the only licensed driver onboard, orchestrated a cover-up to dodge accountability.
“They said that it was a young kid driving, but no one believes that,” Steve told The Sun. “I think they just didn’t want to have an enormous lawsuit because he was one of the richest guys in Mexico.”
Kirsty MacColl's life was tragically cut short when she was hit by a speedboat. Credit: Ian Dickson / Getty
A cover-up that’s haunted the family for decades
At the time of the crash, an employee of Nova’s, 26-year-old José Cen Yam, claimed to have been driving the speedboat, despite not having a license and allegedly only traveling at one knot.
He was convicted of culpable homicide in 2003 but dodged a nearly three-year jail sentence by paying a fine of just $81.
Cen Yam was accused of being paid off to take the fall. Locals claimed he later boasted about being promised cash and a house in return for protecting Nova, who died in 2009.
Onboard the vessel that day were Nova, two of his sons, his daughter-in-law, an 11-month-old granddaughter, and Cen Yam. According to MacColl’s family and campaigners, there was no way Cen Yam was actually in control.
Kirsty's mother, Jean Newlove, led a relentless “Justice for Kirsty” campaign backed by figures like U2’s Bono.
She insisted: “I never got the truth. I’ve never had an apology. And it’s too late for that now," per Daily Mail. Jean passed away in 2017 after years of searching for accountability.
Private investigators revealed that if the boat had truly been traveling at one knot, divers would’ve had time to push it away. But the brutal reality remains: the singer, aged just 41, died shielding her sons from the impact.
A bittersweet legacy
Kirsty’s ex-husband, who produced the original 'Fairytale of New York' in 1987, has just released a new version of the beloved Christmas anthem, now mixed with vocals from late Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan, who passed away two years ago.
The timing of the re-release aligns poignantly with the 25th anniversary of her death.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling because when you hear 'Fairytale', it does give you a good feeling,” Steve said. “It makes you think of Christmas and everything… But it also reminds us of those people who have passed. They both died near Christmas. That’s the weird thing.”
Despite separating in 1997, Steve and Kirsty remained close for the sake of their sons. “Whenever you have children, you know, you have a connection for life,” he said.
Louis, who now lives in the UK and was just 14 at the time, recalled the trauma: “It was such a traumatic thing and a lot of what happened is still a blur to me. What I can say is it was really grim. I still have flashbacks. It was and is so graphic.”
Jamie’s scuba tank bore the brunt of the boat’s impact, leaving him with minor injuries. He has never spoken publicly about what he witnessed.
Kirsty MacColl's death was ruled as accidental. Credit: Patrick Ford / Getty
While the campaign officially ended after Nova’s death in 2009, Jean had always vowed to act if new developments emerged.
Steve, now 70, acknowledged the harsh reality of the situation: “I think you just have to sometimes accept that life isn’t fair, and you have to move on.”
Louis echoed that sentiment. “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. It was never about money, it was about someone taking responsibility.”