Kirsty MacColl Death Site — Cozumel, Mexico

On 18 December 2000, the British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl was killed by a speedboat while scuba diving in a designated diving area off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico. MacColl was diving with her two sons when a powerboat belonging to Mexican multimillionaire Guillermo González Nova reportedly entered the restricted zone at speed. MacColl pushed one of her sons out of the way and was struck by the propeller; she died from her injuries. She was 41 years old. José Cen Yam, a crew member on the boat, was convicted and fined 90 pesos — approximately $9 — an outcome that her family and supporters have consistently described as a miscarriage of justice.

Kirsty MacColl was the daughter of the influential British folk musician Ewan MacColl (who wrote 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face') and had established herself as a significant figure in British pop music — famous for her collaborations with the Pogues on 'Fairytale of New York', her hit 'There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis', and an extensive catalogue of intelligent, wry, melodically sophisticated pop. Her death provoked lasting anger at the outcome of the Mexican legal proceedings and sustained campaigning by the Justice for Kirsty campaign.

Cozumel is a Mexican Caribbean island and major dive tourism destination. The Chankanaab Marine Park area where MacColl was killed is still an active diving location. There is no permanent memorial at the specific dive site, though various tributes have been left there over the years. MacColl is buried in London. The campaign for justice in her case has continued, seeking to establish that the boat owner rather than the crew member bore responsibility for her death.