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Stephen Gately part 2
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Stephen Gately’s husband Andrew Cowles gives up Boyzone star’s £10million fortune
Stephen Gately’s husband declared yesterday he wants none of the singer’s £10million.
Selfless Andrew Cowles, 32, could have got millions but has told lawyers running the tragic star’s estate to give it to relatives and good causes.
He said: “I don’t want a penny. I want his family and his favourite charities to get the money.”
Generous Andrew Stephen’s family deserve his money for their unwavering support of the tragic star.
Andrew was entitled to a large chunk of his late husband’s £10million fortune – but instead wants it to go to his relatives and the children’s causes he backed.
The internet tycoon, 32, told a friend: “I don’t want a penny. I was never with Stephen for his money and don’t need it now.
“I want his family and his favourite charities to get the cash.”
The windfall would see the Dublin-born singer’s mum Margaret, dad Martin, sister Michelle and brothers Mark, Alan and Tony set up for life. Andrew’s pal said: “He feels they were a huge support to Stephen throughout his life and that is what he would have wanted.
“He wants some good to come out of his death and for charities and his family to be recognised.”
Grief-stricken Andrew met lawyers running his tragic partner’s estate in London earlier this week and made his wishes clear.
A source close to him added: “It’s been such a tough time for him but now he’s having to sort out the business end of things.
“He had to register the death in a council office and now lawyers are sorting out who gets what.
“Andrew told them he had no desire to inherit the millions Stephen made through his success.
“He pointed out their relationship was always based on love and not material things and that’s the way he wanted it to stay even after his death.”
The couple met in 2003 and tied the knot in a 2006 civil ceremony in London, swapping £18,500 rings.
Andrew will continue to live in their £745,000 North London home but will sell the Majorca apartment where Stephen, 33, died two weeks ago.
His friend said: “There are too many painful memories there for him now.”
Stephen carefully safeguarded the fortune he amassed during his lengthy pop and stage career.
A source close to Boyzone said he had been “by far the most sensible” with his money. The insider added: “He wasn’t into fast cars like some of the other lads. He wasn’t a big spender at all.”
Andrew confided to his friend: “We were a well-off couple and Stephen was very sensible with his money.” Boyzone, formed in 1993 by pop guru Louis Walsh, had 16 Top 5 singles in the 90s. Their run of success saw them rack up 10 No1 singles and sell 40 million albums worldwide.
When the group split in 1999, Stephen branched out as a solo singer, with his debut single New Beginning getting to No 3. His version of Art Garfunkel’s Bright Eyes was used in a TV version of Watership Down while his song I Believe was featured on the soundtrack to the hit movie Billy Elliot.
He also had stage roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Cinderella and The Wizard of Oz and briefly in a touring production of Godspell two years ago. He also starred in ITV1’s Dancing On Ice.
Boyzone re-formed in 2007, with the comeback tour believed to have made £1million each for Stephen and band pals Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch. More than 3,000 wellwishers gathered outside a Dublin church for the star’s funeral last Saturday.
Parents Margaret and Martin will attend a private reading of his will in London next week and will be briefed on his assets.
The £10m will
Stephen amassed a fortune with Boyzone with 10 Number 1 singles and 40million album sales, plus a successful solo career
Majorca home
The plush holiday apartment where Stephen died so unexpectedly will be sold off
London home
Andrew will stay in the 4-bed Victorian house in North London that Gately bought in 2003 for £745,000
From: Mirror
24 october 2009
An Xtra special farewell
BID TO FULFIL STEPHEN'S TV WISH
X Factor bosses have discussed securing Boyzone's first performance on stage without Stephen Gately, in a fitting tribute to the late star.
Stephen, 33, was a huge fan of the show and last year begged manager and judge Louis Walsh to give them a slot.
At the time Stephen admitted: "We said to him, 'Come on Louis, you have to get us on the show for a song'... He'll have to, I'll be disappointed if he doesn't."
Stephen had already been asked to be a celebrity host on the ITV2 show, but died before he had the chance to appear.
A meeting has been held to discuss the possibility of the boys fulfiling Stephen's wish with a moving farewell to "their brother".
But chiefs have held back on making a formal approach until they speak to Louis.
Stephen's devastated bandmates Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch have taken at least a week off to try to come to terms with his tragic death in Majorca.
A source said: "Stephen was a very close friend of the ITV show.
"During a production meeting they were discussing ideas for guest performers. Boyzone were mentioned as an obvious choice.
"Everyone is painfully aware they need to be sensitive, so they have held back on a formal approach until they speak to Louis.
"But the huge outpouring of grief is hard to ignore.
"There have been a lot of messages asking the boys to do some kind of tribute to his life.
"X Factor would be the perfect place as Stephen begged Louis to be on the show. It would be a very emotional night for everyone - there wouldn't be a dry eye."
The source added: "The boys would have to decide whether they could hold it together."
Louis chose Ronan to help him select contestants at boot camp
From: Mirror
21 October 2009
Stephen Gately cremated in Ireland
DUBLIN, Ireland, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- An estimated 450 people attended a reception in Dublin following the private funeral and cremation of Irish pop star Stephen Gately, sources told the BBC.
The 33-year-old singer was found dead in his vacation home Oct. 10 on the Spanish island of Majorca. He had spent the previous night out drinking with his civil partner, Andrew Cowles. An autopsy determined Gately died of natural causes -- acute pulmonary edema.
"The world has lost one of its brightest stars; we have lost our brother," Ronan Keating, Gately's fellow Boyzone member, said during a tearful eulogy at St. Laurence O'Toole's church Saturday. "We will carry on, but it will never be the same without him. Forever young and never forgotten. A man, a friend, a brother, a son, a husband and a hero. I'm gonna really miss you, brother. We love you and always will. And we know you have found peace. Perfect peace."
Surviving members of Gately's vocal group sang Westlife's song, "In This Life," during the church service while about 3,000 fans gathered outside, the BBC said.
Among the mourners inside the funeral were former Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, members of Boyzone and Westlife, Elton John's husband, David Furnish, and Gately's family members and close friends. George Michael, David and Victoria Beckham, Simon Cowell, Take That, U2, Robbie Williams, Cheryl Cole, Colin Farrell, Sharon Osborne, Brian McFadden and Delta Goodrem sent messages of condolences, the reort said.
From: UPI
(Click on the link to see a video)
19 October 2009
Ronan Keating: We'll finish Stephen Gately's book
Singer had been working on fantasy novel
The remaining members of Boyzone have vowed to complete the book their bandmate Stephen Gately was writing.
The singer had been working on children's fantasy novel The Tree Of Seasons for three years before his death last week.
‘He was putting the finishing touches to his book,' Ronan Keating, 32, said at the funeral. ‘There are only a few pages left.
‘By hook or by crook, those who loved him, and there's so many in this room, we're going to finish that book.'
The band are expected to finish the Boyzone album they'd been working on and will release it next year in Stephen's memory.
There are also plans to stage a charity tribute concert in Dublin.
Meanwhile, Ronan, Mikey Graham, 37, Shane Lynch, 33, and Keith Duffy, 35, have been tattooed with the letter "S" and the numbers "76 09", the years of Stephen's birth and death.
From: Now Magazine
19 October 2009
From Ronan's official site:
Stephen Gately Eulogy by Boyzone
"On behalf of Steo’s Husband and family we would like to thank you all for all of your kind words, gestures and tributes over the last week. The level of support from the public, media and the music industry has been overwelming.
We would also like to say a massive thank you to An Garda Siochana for all they have done for Stephen.
Father Declan, we have managed to spend time with you over the past few days and there is no finer man to give this service today, thank you.
We would personaly like to thank Mark Plunkett and the Gately family would like to thank Gerald Keane for all they have done over the past week for Stephen.
Stephen was Born on the 17th of March 1976 (Paddy’s Day). He very quicly established himself as a performer joining the Gaiety School of Acting and also entering and winning many dance competitions across Ireland.
It was not until he joined Boyzone though in 1993 that people realised Stephen was a force to be reckoned with.
At the auditions for the band, Stephen asked Louis, whom he loved and looked up to, ‘How tall do ya have to be to be in Boyzone?’. He was worried that being 5 foot 7 was too short . But in latter years, while auditioning for The Hobbit, he said he was 5 foot 3... so we never really knew how tall he was. I dont think he did either but he was a giant of a man in our hearts.
A true performer full of life and spirit.
A true friend full of love and friendship.
Believing in joy, compassion, love and equality.
Stephen loved being in BZ, he found an outlet for his passion and four friends & brothers who understood who he truly was.
Also a lover of everything Disney, Stephen would make frequent visits to Disneyland. Everyone knew Steo loved Mickey Mouse.
After four years and tremendous courage, Steo became a pioneer in showing young people it was OK to stand up for who you are and what you believe in. So many owe him so much for what he did.
The five of us created are own little bubble of humour and security and we were always there for each other, through thick and thin.
The break up of the band in 2000 was hard on all of us. Stephen found musical theatre to be his calling and enjoyed lead rolls in some of the great West End shows.
But his true passion and love was the band and he longed for it’s return.
He found this time difficult but along the way found true love with Andrew and together they navigated through the good and the bad times.
It was Andrew that helped Steo become to blossom into the man he always believed he could be.
Together they enjoyed life in London making so many great friends and being part of the vibrant London West End scene .
Stephen’s love for Andrew was true and only last week he told me how lucky he felt to have him by his side.
Stephen and Andrew took up residence in the leafy suburb of Highgate in London were they made so many great friends including Phylis ‘the Butcher’ whom he loved and laughed with daily.
But Steo always kept in touch with his family at home in Dublin, making frequent trips home to see his Mam and Dad, sister Michelle & her family and his brothers Tony, Mark and Alan & their families.
When we visited Margaret and Martin this week, we enjoyed listning to some of the stories of Stephen’s past. We realised that he doesn’t lick it off the ground! They were so alike in so many ways, it was truly like speaking to Steo.
He loved his Mam and Dad so much and spoke of them regularly. He loved the fact that they were the life and sole of every party, as Steo himself became.
In 2007 we reunited, something we had all longed for for some time.
Steo found a renewed passion for what he knew best – performing.
With an audience Stephen came alive. He became truly himself, he brought colour to the band that now simply feels black & white without him.
Behind the curtain Stephen was deeply private and guarded but we were lucky enough to see through that and get a glimpse of the warm, honest, gentle loving man he was.
Stephen loved to laugh and by God did we laugh! We had the most unusual sense of humour... If he were here right now he would say, ‘hey Ro, I’m looking for a stained glass window, if you see one around let me know!’
He had nick-names for all of us. Keith was Kitty, Shane was Shanice, Mikey was Mikeala and I was Rosaleen. Of course, he was Stephanie.
He loved it when we were all together laughing and joking. He provided us with so many funny lines throughout the BZ days, some you may have heard and some in this house I can not repeat!
We were the campest straight band we knew (except for one fella... and he knows who he is)! That is why Steo always felt so comfortable in Boyzone. He thought he was the best camper in the world... He was’nt even the best Camper in the band! Isn’t that right, Duster?
He was so excited at the prospect of the new BZ studio album. He called me last Friday, after recieving a bunch of new songs, saying how much he loved them, saying lets go lets go lets go!
He was putting the finishing touches to his first book, ‘The Tree of Seasons’. There are a few pages left and by hook or by crook, those who loved him and there are so many in this room, will help finish it.
We now pray for his guidence and spirit to show us the way.
It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I say that the world has lost one of its brightest stars, we have lost our brother and I have lost my wing man.
He will live on in the songs and whenever us four are together. His spirit is alive so, for Steo, we will carry on but it will never be the same without him.
A beautiful man who is now the perfect angel... forever young and never forgotten.
A man, a friend, a brother, a son, a husband and a hero.
We are going to really miss ya brother, we love ya pal and we always will.
We know you have found peace, perfect peace."
18 october 2009
Ronan Keating Pays Emotional Tribute at Stephen Gately's Funeral
Ronan remembers Stephen as a person who had a good sense of humor and recalls how he gave each of his Boyzone bandmates different nicknames.
The life of late boybander Stephen Gately was celebrated in a funeral ceremony in his native Dublin, Ireland on Saturday, October 17, during when Boyzone bandmate Ronan Keating delivered an emotional tribute, recalling the sweet memories they spent together with the rest of the music act. The private event, taking place at St Lawrence O'Toole church, was attended by close friends and family. Fans gathered outside the building as they listened to Ronan's eulogy.
In his tribute, Ronan recounted how Stephen loved to laugh and give nicknames for him as well as bandmates Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, and Shane Lynch. Beside recalling Stephen's good sense of humor, Ronan also said how the late 33-year-old singer was very excited about the prospect of Boyzone's new studio album.
Ronan's full tribute can be heard through the video provided after this news. And following the funeral, an announcement was made by Boyzone on their Twitter account that Stephen's same-sex partner Andrew Cowles "has asked that rather than flowers, people send a donation to the Caudwell Children Charity", for which Stephen was an ambassador. The organization itself has established a page for donations, dubbed JustGiving.
Stephen Gately was enjoying a holiday with his same-sex partner Andrew Cowles when he was found dead on October 10 at his apartment on the Spanish resort island of Mallorca. A post-mortem on his body revealed he died of natural causes due to fluid on the lungs. "The singer of the British group Boyzone died from natural causes, owing to an 'acute pulmonary edema'," the court statement confirmed, adding "there were no signs of violence to the body."
From: Ace Showbiz
19 october 2009
Boyzone's touching tribute to their ‘brother’ Stephen Gately
The tears were not accompanied by young screams and hysteria this time. They were now for sorrow, for a son of Sheriff Street who made it big and was coming home for the last time, too early.
“Farewell Stephen, from ya old friends,” read a banner hanging from a balcony on Seville Place, opposite where Stephen Gately's life was being celebrated in St Laurence O'Toole's Church.
It was the place where he made his communion, the place he was baptised, and now the place where his family and friends bade farewell.
Although fans came from as far afield as South Africa, Taiwan and America to pay their respects, the day was more a local celebration of one of their own than a celebrity funeral. Most of the 1,000 or so who lined Sheriff Street and Seville Place to listen as the service was relayed through loudspeakers were local people.
“At our first meeting with the guards, their first words to us were, ‘He was one of us lads, so don't worry, we'll take care of him’,” said Keith Duffy during the eulogy.
On a glorious autumn day, it was about Stephen and his passions, his love for singing that ultimately brought him success, his friends, family and husband.
Gifts brought up to the altar included a Mickey Mouse doll to show his fondness for all things Disney, a top hat and menu from his wedding to Andrew Cowles, a microphone, moisturiser, a white lily and a card made by the children of the other Boyzone members.
Musical tributes came from local performer Jo Garland who sang ‘At Last’, Tony Kenny who sang ‘Alleluia’, Boyzone who performed ‘In This Life’ and Ronan Keating who sang ‘Happiness’ on his own.
Keating and Stephen's other band mates, Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch, spent the night keeping vigil at the 33-year-old's coffin in the church.
At the funeral, Ronan, Mikey and Keith delivered an emotional, touching eulogy.
With Shane, they stood supporting one another, hand on each other's shoulders as they faced the church, which was decked out with flowers and adorned with pictures of their friend.
Keith Duffy told Stephen's husband that he had “four other brothers now”.
Ronan Keating was the last to speak and was overcome by emotion, breaking down before composing himself to carry on.
“We have lost our brother and I have lost my wingman,” he said, crying. “He will live on in the songs and whenever us four are together, his spirit is alive.”
From: Belfast Telegraph
19 october 2009
Ronan Keating Pays Tribute To Stephen Gately At Memorial
Ronan Keating broke down as he paid tribute to his close friend and Boyzone bandmate, Stephen Gately, on Sunday (October 18) at the memorial for his “wingman,” who died of fluid on the lungs on October 10. Hear his touching speech after the jump.
From: The Celebrity thruth
(Click on the link to hear Ronan's words)
19 october 2009
Disco video nails gossip about Stephen Gately
Watch Boyzone star's CCTV nightclub footage
THIS is Boyzone star Stephen Gately just hours before his shock death - captured on CCTV entering a gay club in Majorca (below right).
The 33-year-old singer, pictured with husband Andy Cowles, looks carefree and sober. As thousands mourned Stephen at his Dublin funeral, a barman at the club revealed: "He only had one drink. . . he was NOT drunk."
Our heartbreak final video of the star - just hours before his death - confound wild rumours that he got "totally trashed" on an eight-hour booze binge.
The Boyzone star was captured on CCTV footage as he entered a gay disco bar with his civil partner Cowles - both looking completely sober and happy.
The dramatic images, obtained exclusively by the News of the World, may finally give comfort to his devastated family and friends.
Just after our picture was taken - nine days ago at 11.57pm on Friday October 9 - 33-year-old Stephen and internet tycoon Andy were meeting two pals inside the popular Aries nightclub in Palma, Majorca.
A barman revealed: "Stephen bought a round and just had one drink, a bottle of Miniblack Freixenet bubbly which cost seven euros. I know he wasn't drunk or anything."
The men all sat together up at the bar. Owner Susanna Lewis, 34, said: "Stephen was in good spirits. He's been in here a few times and was always a perfect gentleman.
"He never played the big star or anything. This is a gay complex and he obviously felt comfortable here.
"On the video you can see everything's fine. Stephen's not falling about drunk or looking angry or sad. It's just a night out and everyone is chilled. He seemed perfectly fit and healthy."
The star stayed for 36 minutes, leaving with Andy, a PR friend and another man.
The video shows they left at 12.33am. They then went to the Euphoria bar 50 yards away, where Stephen met up with jobless Bulgarian Georgi Dochev, 25, before heading across the road to the Black Cat club.
A source at Euphoria said: "There was a group of about six enjoying themselves but they weren't drunk or anything. They only had one or two at the most. Everyone seemed in a happy mood."
At 4am Stephen, Andy and Georgi took a taxi back to the star's holiday home In Port Andratx. Georgi told police they had more drinks, Stephen smoked a cannabis joint and the three men became "intimate".
Georgi left the other two dozing on the sofa and went to sleep in a bedroom. It is believed Stephen died between 5am and 10am. But it wasn't until lunchtime Georgi found him and realised the awful truth.
From: News of the world.
(Click on the link to see the video)
18 october 2009
Ronan Keating tribute for his 'lost brother'
Ronan Keating, solo artist and former lead singer of the band, paid his last respects to his friend and fellow Boyzone member, Stephen Gately yesterday
In a tribute which will be remembered for it's sincerity, Keating frequently broke down in tears as his emotions took over.
"A beautiful man who is now the perfect angel." he began, "Forever young and never forgotten."
Keating found it hardest of all when he began to turn his speech away from the audience and address his friend:
"A man, a friend, a brother, a son, a husband and a hero."
"We're gonna really miss you brother. We love you, we always will" he said.
"But we know you've found peace, perfect peace".
Keating was following on from manager Louis Walsh who earlier in the day spoke to the press about a "fantastic kid whose life must be celebrated", and Keith Duffy, band member who said he was "a giant of a man in our hearts"
Mourners gathered to throw white roses onto his coffin as it left St Alexander O'Toole for a private cremation at Glasnevin Cemetery.
A funeral party was held later in the day.
From: IB Times
18 october 2009
Ronan Keating’s Tribute To Stephen Gately
Ronan Keating and other members of Boyzone paid tribute to Stephen Gately and described him as a beautiful man who is now a perfect angel.
Ronan cried when he made an emotional eulogy as he revealed that he and his bandmates lost their brother and he lost his wing man. Duffy revealed Gately’s height concern when he joined Boyzone. And Graham recalled Gately’s love of his partner and his family.
Keating and the remaining band mates Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy joined family, neighbors and celebrity friends for the emotional farewell in St Laurence O’Toole Church in Dublin’s north inner city.
From: Sponkit
18 october 2009
Ronan keating pays tribute to Gately
Ronan Keating paid an emotional tribute to his late Boyzone bandmate Stephen Gately at his funeral.
The singer described Stephen - who died at his Majorca home, in Spain, last weekend aged just 33 - as his "brother and wing man" and vowed to continue the band in his honour during his eulogy at the service held at the St Laurence O'Toole Church in Dublin, Ireland.
A tearful Ronan said: "The world has lost one of its brightest stars. We have lost a brother and I have lost my wing man. For Stephen, we will carry on but the band will never be the same without him.
"Forever young and never forgotten. A friend, a brother, a son, a husband and a hero. We are going to miss you brother, we love you and we always will. We know you have found peace, perfect peace."
Bandmate Mikey Graham added: "He brought colour to the band - and that band now feels black and white without him."
Boyzone - also comprised of Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy - also performed Ronan's solo track 'In This Life' to around 550 mourners inside the church. Lyrics included "Deep in my heart/The only dream that mattered had come true/In this life, I was loved by you."
As well as Stephen's parents, family and civil partner Andy Cowles, other attendees included 'X Factor' judge Louis Walsh - who managed the band for 16 years - Jason Donovan, the members of Westlife, Kian Egan, Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne and Mark Feehily, and ex-Westlife singer Brian McFadden.
As he entered the church, a sombre Louis said: "'It's a difficult day but we have to celebrate his life.
"It's an incredible atmosphere in the church, all his best friends are there, his family are there, it's what he would have wanted."
David Furnish - who introduced Stephen to Andy - was present but his partner Sir Elton John was unable to make it due to prior commitments.
Speaking about Elton, David said: "He's completely bereft."
Around 3,000 mourners laid tributes outside the church and listened to the service on loudspeakers.
From: Stuff
18 october 2009
Ronan Keating pays tribute to 'wing man' bandmate
Ronan Keating has paid an emotional tribute to his late Boyzone bandmate Stephen Gately at his funeral.
The singer described Stephen – who died at his Majorca home, in Spain, last weekend aged just 33 – as his "brother and wing man" and vowed to continue the band in his honour during his eulogy at the service held at the St Laurence O'Toole Church in Dublin, Ireland.
A tearful Ronan said: "The world has lost one of its brightest stars. We have lost a brother and I have lost my wing man. For Stephen, we will carry on but the band will never be the same without him.
"Forever young and never forgotten. A friend, a brother, a son, a husband and a hero. We are going to miss you brother, we love you and we always will. We know you have found peace, perfect peace."
Bandmate Mikey Graham added: "He brought colour to the band - and that band now feels black and white without him."
Boyzone – also comprised of Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy – also performed Ronan's solo track In This Life to around 550 mourners inside the church. Lyrics included "Deep in my heart/The only dream that mattered had come true/In this life, I was loved by you."
As well as Stephen's parents, family and civil partner Andy Cowles, other attendees included 'X Factor' judge Louis Walsh – who managed the band for 16 years – Jason Donovan, the members of Westlife, Kian Egan, Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne and Mark Feehily, and ex-Westlife singer Brian McFadden.
As he entered the church, a sombre Louis said: "'It's a difficult day but we have to celebrate his life.
"It's an incredible atmosphere in the church, all his best friends are there, his family are there, it's what he would have wanted."
David Furnish – who introduced Stephen to Andy – was present but his partner Sir Elton John was unable to make it due to prior commitments.
Speaking about Elton, David said: "He's completely bereft."
Around 3,000 mourners laid tributes outside the church and listened to the service on loudspeakers.
From: New Zealand Herald
17 october 2009
News From Across The Pond: Fans farewell Stephen Gately
RONAN Keating broke down in tears as he and fellow Boyzone band mates read a eulogy at Stephen Gately's funeral.
The band also sang tributes to Stephen, including the hymn In This Life', during the ceremony at St Lawrence O'Toole's Church in Dublin today.
Ronan frequently had to pause to compose himself as he spoke of his friend, who he said had a great sense of humour.
He said: "If he was here right now he would say 'Ro I'm looking for a stained glass window, if you see any around let me know'."
"He loved it when we were all together laughing. We were the campest straight band we knew - except for one of us and he knows who he is."
Keating shed tears as he spoke of the loss he felt.
"We have lost our brother and I have lost my wing man. For Steven we'll carry on but it'll never be the same without him."
Mikey Graham said Stephen's love for his partner Andrew was "true" and that he felt lucky to have him.
While Kieth Duffy called him a "giant of a man in our hearts, a true performer, full of life and spirit."
Mikey said: "He brought colour to the band. That band simply feels black and white without him."
The funeral was attended by a mixture of celebrities including members of Irish boyband Westlife and actor Jason Donovan.
Louis Walsh has taken leave from The X Factor this weekend to mourn Stephen. He was Boyzone's manager for 16 years.
He told Sky News: "He did everything he wanted in his life."
"Boyzone were like best friends in the world. Stephen was a great, good person, never offended anybody in his life, never gave me any problems."
Walsh said Dublin was the "best place in the world" for the funeral to take place.
"This is where he grew up and this is where he dreamt of being a pop star."
Messages of support were sent from the likes of Elton John, Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and boyband Take That, who were unable to attend the service.
John's partner David Furnish said they had introduced Stephen to his husband Andrew Cowles.
Furnish said: "He was like a ray of sunshine, he was one of the kindest most uncomplicated people."
He said John was "completely bereft" at the news of Stephen's passing.
More than 1000 mourners gathered outside the gates of the church to farewell the popstar.
While no cameras were allowed in for the ceremony, loud speakers broadcast the proceedings and the priest assured fans that they were "very much a part" of the service.
Gately's family and friends will attend a private crematorium service and a wake later this afternoon.
Boyzone fans kept an all-night vigil outside of the church where the band slept in sleeping bags next to the coffin of their friend.
The boys emerged at 6.30am to meet and console the mourners who'd come to pay their respects.
From: OK
(For photos and a video click on the link)
17 october 2009
Funeral of Stephen Gately takes place in Dublin
The funeral of Stephen Gately took place in Dublin this afternoon attended by family and close friends and with more than 3,500 fans listening to the service on speakers outside the St Laurence O'Toole's Church.
His body has been taken to Glasnevin Crematorium for a private family service.
Father Declan Blake told mourners Gately had been baptised in the same church 33 years ago. "Through his singing and entertaining, Stephen touched the lives of many, many people," Fr Blake said.
He said he always gave his best to the area and Boyzone, to which he was committed.
“Through fame and entertaining Stephen touched the lives of many, many, many people,” said Fr Blake.
“He brought great joy and lifted the hearts of many people. Stephen, as we all know, was a real gentleman, he was kind, caring and he was very talented.”
Fr Blake said Gately supported charities and brought children happiness by visiting them in hospital.
Boyzone members Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham and Keith Duffy performed 'In this Life' and 'It's only Love' and also paid individual tributes.
Keating said: "We know Stephen has now found perfect peace."
"I am going to miss you brother. I love you and I always will," Keating added.
Other artists, including Tony Kenny, also sang during the ceremony.
The readings were given by Pat Halligan and Hannah Cowles, while Michael Graham, Jordan Duffy, Liah Carr, April Nelson and Pat Roberson read the Prayers of the Faithful.
The inside of the chapel was adorned with pictures of Gately through the years, as well as his favourite picture with Boyzone.
Lilies were also hung on every aisle.
Friends and relations carried gifts which were brought to the altar.
A Mickey Mouse teddy was brought because Gately loved Disney and “believed in fairy tales”, the congregation was told.
A top hat and menu from his wedding day showed his devotion for his husband Andrew Cowles and a card was hand-made by Boyzone’s children because Gately loved kids.
Among the well-known mourners was Boyzone manager and X-Factor judge Louis Walsh who acknowledged a low-key cheer from fans with a wave on his arrival at the church.
Speaking to reporters before the funeral Walsh said: "This is a sad day but we have to celebrate Stephen's life". All Stephen's best friends were in attendance and noted Gately's bandmates had stayed with the body in the church overnight, he added.
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern and singer Jason Donovan were also among the mourners. Those who could not attend the service but sent their condolences included Elton John, George Michael, the Beckams, Simon Cowell, Take That, U2, Robbie Williams, Sheryl Cole and Sharon Osborne.
Hundreds of fans maintained an all-night vigil outside the church to pay tribute to Gately. His band mates, who had stayed inside the church with the coffin overnight, earlier spoke with fans at around dawn to thank them for their support.
Jackie Harrington (24) from Portsmouth, said she has been a fan for 17 years. “All the neighbours have been looking after us, bringing us tea and pancakes and making sure we were all right,” she said.
“We’re here to say goodbye, to support the lads and let them know that we’re here for them as well.
“He was amazing, an absolute star. A genuine down to earth hero.” Distraught Tracy Morris from Sheffield, who arrived in Dublin at 9.30pm yesterday said: "He (Stephen) was gorgeous, beautiful, a lovely man, gentle, caring.”
“Boyzone won’t be complete without him.”
Flowers rested outside the inner-city church beside several small candles, with the name 'Stephen' placed by the railings.
Ms Morris said she was devastated at news of the death last weekend. “It’s just not sunk in yet,” the 38-year-old added.
“This morning we met Ronan and Keith, they came out and were hanging around the railings. There was no cheering it was just quiet. They just came around and spoke to people.” Security was tight outside the Church with railings in place across footpaths.
In the midst of the hundreds were two women draped in tricolours, wearing bowler hats bearing Stephen’s photograph.
Nearly 10 years have passed since Boyzone split in 2000, but the ardour of fans is undimmed and the goodwill of a community was unmistakably resolute among the hundreds who stood in the early winter chill last night.
Wendy Lee (26) from Taiwan had travelled from her home in Taipei to be in Dublin for the funeral of a man she idolised since she was a teenager.
“He was so kind and friendly and I really loved his songs,” she said. “When my friend told me he had died, I just cried. I couldn’t eat and I couldn’t sleep.”
The flights for the two-day visit had cost her more than €1,000, but she didn’t give it a thought.
Alongside her was Michelle Robinson (25) from Belfast, whom she had met at one of the band’s reunion gigs last year. “I think it’s pure devastation,” Michelle said of the fans’ reaction to Gately's death.
“The way I feel at the moment, it’s like a nightmare. He was so down to earth and he took so much time to talk to people. The fact that he was so open about his sexuality went a long way, too.”
For every one who had come from afar, there were many more who seemed to know Gately (33) not as a name in lights but as a neighbour, a schoolmate, a voice on the street.
One woman remembered him as a 14-year-old at the disco down the road “and he didn’t change one bit”. Another said her mother had died three years ago “and the crowd was just as big, and she wasn’t a big name or anything.
“They always do it around here, and they walk behind the coffin. It’s a tradition... He was very much loved. Beautiful, beautiful family. His parents are the salt of the earth, they really are.”
Gately’s bandmates accompanied him home from Majorca yesterday afternoon.
From: Irish Times
17 october 2009
Emotional tribute at Gately funeral
(UKPA)
Stephen Gately's distraught bandmates broke down as they paid tribute to the singer, describing him as a giant of a man and now the perfect angel.
Boyzone's Ronan Keating sobbed as he told Gately's funeral Mass in Dublin that the world had lost one of its greatest stars.
In an emotional eulogy that brought tears to the eyes of thousands of fans outside, Keating cried as he said the popstar had found perfect peace.
"We have lost our brother and I've lost my wing man," said Keating.
"He will live on in our songs and whenever us four are together his spirit is alive. For Stephen we'll carry on, but it will never be the same without him. A beautiful man who is now the perfect angel. Forever young and never forgotten."
Keating and the remaining bandmates Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy joined family, neighbours and celebrity friends for the emotional farewell in St Laurence O'Toole Church in Dublin's north inner city.
Gately's heartbroken parents Margaret and Martin, siblings Mark, Alan, Tony and Michelle and his partner Andrew Cowles hugged and supported each other as they left the chapel. A pair of rosary beads which Lynch wore into the church around his neck were placed on Gately's coffin as the tearful band members carried their friend out of the church.
Around 3,500 fans listened outside as Keating, Duffy and Graham remembered their friend.
Famous faces at the popstar's funeral included Boyzone creator Louis Walsh, Westlife, Brian McFadden and X Factor winner Shane Ward. Singers Sharon Corr, Jason Donovan and Brian Kennedy joined actor Chris Bisson and TV personalities Vanessa Feltz and Gillian McKeith.
Elton John, who is on tour, sent a large bouquet of yellow flowers laid outside the church. Messages of condolence were received from George Michael, David and Victoria Beckham, Simon Cowell, Take That, U2, Robbie Williams, Cheryl Cole, Sharon Osborne and Colin Farrell, whose brother Eamon and partner Steve Mannion attended.
From: Google
17 october 2009
Stephen Gately's funeral: Boyzone members Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy and Michael Graham pay emotional tributes to 'wing man' friend
Boyzone members Keith Duffy, Michael Graham and Ronan Keating paid emotional tributes to Stephen Gately at his funeral this afternoon, with Ronan hailing his 'wing man' friend as a "beautiful man who is now the perfect angel - forever young and never forgotten."
Speaking first, Keith recounted how all five felt "very blessed" to have such "a friendship, and a brotherhood, a security, a bond" and joked how Stephen had worried he might be too short to make it through auditions for the band.
Michael spoke about how Stephen's love for his husband Andrew Cowles was "true", helping him "blossom into the man he always believed he could be". Graham also said that Stephen brought colour to the band which now "simply feels black and white without him."
Ronan's words brought the congregation to tears as he promised Stephen would live on in their songs, saying the band would continue but "it'll never be the same without him". With his voice cracking, Ronan closed by saying "we know you have found peace. Perfect peace."
Earlier in the service, Keating performed sang In This Life as friends and family gathered to say farewell to the singer at the St Laurence O'Toole Church in Dublin.
The full eulogies are below.
Keith Duffy
Louis Walsh created a band. We created a friendship, and a brotherhood, a security, a bond.
We love each other dearly and Stephen and I and Ronan and Mikey and Shane all feel very blessed, always felt very blessed, to have that bond and that friendship. It's a special one that not everyone gets to experience and cherish.
We did call Stephen our little brother. We tried to mind him, we tried to protect him and for that reason it means Andy, you've got four other brothers now if you ever need us.
Martin and Margaret, you've got four more sons and you know that there are upsides to that as well, you know... you might have 110 years of children's allowance to claim. The problem is you've also got eight more grandchildren and Christmas is going to be expensive.
On behalf of Steo's husband and family we would like to thank you all for your kind words, gestures and tributes over the past week.
The level of support from the public, the media, the music industry has just been overwhelming. We would also like to say a massive thank you to the Garda Siochana. On our first meeting with the guards their words to us were 'he was one of us lads so don't worry, we'll take care of him' and they've done a great job.
Father Declan, we've managed to spend quite a bit of time with you over the past few days and indeed over the past 12 hours when we were lying here in sleeping bags last night and we all had great peace until one of us started to snore - he knows who he is.
We would personally like to thank our friend, another brother of ours, our manager Mark Plunkett for all that he has done for us over the past week for Stephen. He was out in Majorca helping Andy and Andy's family and he has been strong for us and he's been an inspiration and I know Steo would be so so grateful and so proud of Mark so thank you very much.
The Gately family would also like to extend a great deal of gratitude and thanks to Gerald Kean for all that he has done for Stephen over the past week.
Stephen was born on the 17th of March, 1976 - Paddy's day. He very quickly established himself as a performer, joining the Gaiety School of Acting and also entering and winning many dance competitions across Ireland.
It was not until he joined Boyzone though in 1993 that people realised that Stephen was a force to be recognised. At the auditions for the band Stephen asked Louis, who he loved and looked up to, 'How tall do you have to be to be in Boyzone?' He was worried that he was only 5ft7ins and that might be too short, but in latter years while auditioning for the hobbit, he said he was 5ft3ins.
So we never knew how tall Stephen actually was and I don't think he actually knew either but he was a giant of a man in our hearts.
A true performer full of life and spirit, a true friend full of love and friendship. Stephen loved being in Boyzone, he found an outlet for his passion and four friends and brothers who understood who he truly was.
He was also a lover of everything Disney. Stephen would make frequent visits to Disneyland. Everyone knew how much Steo loved Micky Mouse.
After four years and tremendous courage, Stephen became a pioneer in showing young people it was ok to stand up to who you were and what you believe in. So many owed him so much for what he did.
The five of us created our own little bubble of humour and security and we were always there for each other through thick and thin.
The break up of the band in 2000 was hard on us all. Stephen took musical theatre to be his calling and enjoyed lead roles in some of the West End shows.
But his true passion and love was the band and he longed for its return.
Mikey Graham
He found his time difficult but along the way he found true love with Andrew.
Through the good times and the bad it was Andrew who helped Steo blossom into the man he always believed he could be.
Together they enjoyed life in London, making so many great friends as a part of the vibrant West End scene.
Stephen's love for Andrew was true. And only last week did he tell him how lucky he was to have him by his side.
Stephen and Andrew took up residence in the leafy suburb of Highgate in London where they made many great friends including Phyllis the butcher whom he loved and laughed with daily.
But Steo always kept in touch with his family at home in Dublin, making frequent trips to see his mum and dad, his sister Michelle and her family and his brothers Tony and Mark and Allan and their families.
When we visited Mark and Martin this week, we enjoyed listening to their stories of Stephen's past.
We realised that he didn't pick his sense of humour from the ground. They were so alike in so many ways and it was truly like speaking with Stephen when we were there.
He loved his mam and dad so much and spoke with them regularly. He loved the fact that they were the life and soul of every party as Steo himself became.
In 2007 we reunited, which was something we had all longed for for some time.
Stephen found a renewed passion for what he knew best - music and performance.
With an audience Stephen became alive - he truly became himself. He brought colour to the band and that band now simply feels black and white without him.
Behind the curtain Stephen was a deeply private and guarded person but we were very lucky to be invited in to see a glimpse of the warm, loving, honest and gentle man that he was.
Ronan Keating
Steo loved to laugh and by God did we laugh. He had the oddest sense of humour on the planet. If he were here right now, he'd say 'Ro, I'm looking for a stainglass window. If you see one around, let me know'.
He had nicknames for all of us. Keith was Kitty, Shane was Shanise, Mikey was Michaela and I was Rosaline, of course, and he was Stephanie.
He loved it when we were all together laughing and joking. He provided us with so many funny lines during the Boyzone days - some you may have heard and some in this house I cannot repeat.
We were the campest straight band we knew, except for one fella and he knows who he is.
That is why Steo always felt so comfortable in Boyzone. He thought he was the best camper in the world. He wasn't even the best camper in the band.
He was so excited by the prospect of the new Boyzone studio album. He called me on Friday after receiving a bunch of new songs saying how much he loved them. He said it to me, 'Let's go, let's go. I can't wait'.
He was putting the finishing touches to his book The Tree of Seasons and there are only a few pages left and by hook or by crook those who loved him, and there's so many in this room, we're going to finish that book.
We now pray for his guidance and spirit to show us the way. It is with a heavy heart and great sadness when I say the world has lost one of its brightest stars.
We have lost our brother and I have lost my wing man.
He will live on in the songs and whenever us four are together his spirit is alive.
For Stephen we will carry on but it'll never be the same without him.
A beautiful man who is now the perfect angel - forever young and never forgotten.
A man, a friend, a brother, a son, a husband and a hero. I'm going to really miss you brother. We love you and we always will.
And we know you have found peace. Perfect peace.
From: The Mirror
17 october 2009
Thousands bid farewell to Stephen Gately
Boyzone singer Stephen Gately has been laid to rest after an emotional funeral service in Dublin.
It was attended by thousands of fans who listened outside, and celebrities who included the band's manager Louis Walsh and David Furnish, the civil partner of Sir Elton John.
Fellow band member Ronan Keating broke down during his eulogy to the 33-year-old star he called ''the perfect angel''.
From: BBC News
(To see the video click on the link)
17 october 2009
Keating pays emotional tribute at Gately funeral
Ronan Keating has paid an emotional tribute to Stephen Gately at the 33-year-old's funeral.
Thousands of people turned out for the service at Dublin's Laurence O'Toole Church in Sherriff Street where Stephen grew up.
He died suddenly last Saturday in Majorca.
Chief mourners included his husband Andrew Cowles, his parents and siblings.
The congregation heard how he touched lives of many people with his talent for singing and entertaining.
The service included musical tributes to Stephen's life from his Boyzone bandmates and Ronan Keating spoke of the loss of a great friend.
From: Bray people
17 october 2009
Boyzone fans keep all-night vigil
Boyzone fans kept an overnight vigil outside the church where Stephen Gately's coffin is
being held ahead of his funeral today (October 17th).
Inside St Laurance O'Toole's Church in Dublin, Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and Mikey Graham also stayed all night with their bandmate's body.
OK! reported that the boys emerged at 6.30am to console the people who had gathered to pay their respects.
Yesterday evening, the 300 individuals who lined the streets for Gately's homecoming applauded as the coffin was driven to the church.
Westlife released a statement expressing grief at the death of the singer.
They said: "We are here today as friends of Stephen, not as popstars. It's a shame that today we have to say goodbye to him like this.
"Our love and support goes out to Andy and the rest of Stephen's family. Also to Keith, Mikey, Ronan and Shane, who have lost their best friend."
The funeral is scheduled for midday and loudspeakers have been set up outside the church, but no cameras will be allowed inside.
From: Digital Spy
17 october 2009
Statement from Boyzone
Last Saturday our world changed forever when we lost our friend and brother Stephen.
We have come to Majorca today to accompany our pal on his final journey back to Dublin, where we know he will be given an unforgettable send off tomorrow. We'd like to thank the authorities here for their help and for the respect they have shown to our friend.
Stephen & Andrew had chosen to make Majorca their second home and we know that Stephen loved the times they spent together here.
The countless messages of love and support we have received this week have truly overwhelmed ourselves and the Gately family. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for each and every one of them. We would also like to thank the media for respecting our privacy this week and ask that you continue to do so tomorrow.
Stephen lived to perform and truly loved being centre stage. You can be sure he's looking down on us now wishing we’d move over so he could flash his smile for the cameras one more time.
What the future holds for the four of us now is too hard to even think about. But we know that nothing will ever be the same without our dearest friend, Stephen... rest in peace, brother.
16 october 2009
Stephen Gately, a totally grounded celebrity with a lot of talent, will be remembered for many years to come
Every time I met Stephen Gately he proved himself as one of the hardest working, sweetest and most down-to-earth celebrities on the showbiz circuit.
Last year I took my mother, a big fan, to the opening night of Boyzone’s London concerts and she was highly excited to be taken backstage to meet the boys.
But while the entourage and hangers on were all far “too cool for school” to hang with my poor mum, Stephen came straight over and gave her a big hug – complimenting her on the Sunday best outfit she’d picked out. She left the meet and greet on top of the world.
That was Stephen all over – loving, caring and never forgetting the fans that had put him on his pop pedestal. He was actually that rare thing, a totally grounded celebrity with a lot of talent. Of course he liked a glass of champers like the next person in showbiz land but I never once saw him out of his head drunk. It just wasn’t him – anybody who knows Stephen knows he was clean living and good hearted.
What’s so depressing about his death is he was so young and still had so much to achieve. He loved being in Boyzone and was thrilled at the thought of starting work on a brand new album in weeks – but he dreamed of starring in the West End in the show Jersey Boys. A role he would have no doubt made his own.
The last time I interviewed him and Boyzone’s lead singer Ronan Keating together I asked them both who they would love to play them in a movie of their life. Ronan naturally went for Daniel Craig but Stephen burst into a fit of hysterics and squealed: “Obviously it would have to be Madonna.” Typical Stephen humour!
He went on to talk about his love from husband Andrew and his eyes twinkled as he said: “I love nothing more of an evening than sitting on a couch with Andrew and the dog and watching a movie. Married life for us is great – I’m so happy to have found him.”
Stephen even talked about adopting a child but said he preferred ‘borrowing’ lead singer Ronan’s children. “Celebrity adoption’s got so fashionable these days,” he laughed. “It’s like the must have bag. But I don’t really want kids – I have Ronan’s children. It’s nice to play with them and pick them up but it’s good handing them back at the end of the day.”
All the boys will miss Stephen in different ways. But that time with Ronan they were like cheeky naughty little brothers - continually joking, having little private ‘in’ jokes with each other and laughing. One thing’s for sure; Ronan will have many good memories to look back on.
The final time I saw Stephen was two weeks ago at the Pride of Britain Awards. He was on great form and working the room like the social butterfly he was. He looked over upon leaving and gave me a cheeky wink. I just hope wherever he is now he’s smiling down and reflecting on all he achieved in his short years.
We’ll certainly remember him for many years to come.
From: The Mirror
17 october 2009
Boyzone are a family
LOUIS WALSH praised STEPHEN GATELY's former bandmates as he joined thousands of mourners at the singer's funeral in Dublin today.
The X Factor judge, the band's manager for the past 16 years, described RONAN KEATING, KEITH DUFFY, SHANE LYNCH and MIKEY GRAHAM as Stephen's "family".
"They were not like any other band - they were his best friends and his family," said Louis.
"They've been on an unbelievable journey, we didn't think it would have ended so early.
"We thought we'd have another 10 years together
Louis admitted it had been a "difficult" week but was determined to celebrate Stephen's life today.
He said: "There's an unbelievable atmosphere in the church, with all his friends and family. It's what he would have wanted.
"Stephen was a great person, never offended anybody in his whole life, never gave me any problems.
"I think this is the best place in the world for him today, this is where he grew up."
BRIAN MCFADDEN (inset) and his former WESTLIFE bandmates arrived at the church earlier today, along with fellow stars JASON DONAVON, DAVID FURNISH and SHANE WARD.
Boyzone are expected to perform an emotional set at the service.
From: The Sun
17 october 2009
Family and Friends Attend Private Vigil for Stephen Gately
Ahead of the planned funeral, a private vigil was held for the late Stephen Gately in Dublin's north inner city on Friday night, October 16. His Boyzone bandmates Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, and Shane Lynch were spotted among the mourners, which also included Stephen's parents and siblings.
Ronan, Keith, Mikey, and Shane were photographed carrying Stephen's coffin into St Laurence O'Toole church for private viewing. "About 300 local people and fans lined streets near St Laurence O'Toole Church paying their own tribute to the West End star with a gentle applause," Daily Mail reported.
In addition to them all, Irish boyband Westlife joined mourners in paying tribute to Stephen. They said, "We are here today as friends of Stephen, not as popstars. It's a shame that today we have to say goodbye to him like this. Our love and support goes out to Andy (Cowles) and the rest of Stephen's family. Also to Keith, Mikey, Ronan and Shane, who have lost their best friend."
Stephen Gately was enjoying a holiday with his same-sex partner Andrew Cowles when he was found dead at his apartment on the Spanish resort island of Mallorca. A post-mortem on his body revealed he died of natural causes due to fluid on the lungs. A funeral is planned for Saturday, October 17 in his homeland Dublin, Ireland.
As a tribute to Stephen, bandmates Ronan and Shane have etched on their bodies his birth and death dates. Ronan has the dates etched on his right bicep, while Shane has them etched on his left hand.
From: Ace showbiz
17 october 2009
Gately to get home-town farewell
(UKPA)
Stephen Gately is to be given an unforgettable send off, with celebrities and thousands of fans uniting in grief at his funeral.
The remaining Boyzone members will sing for their friend during an emotional service, to be held in Dublin a week after Gately's death in Majorca.
Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy spent the night at the church with the West End star, who they call their brother.
Members of Westlife, composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Elton John's partner David Furnish and former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern are expected to attend the funeral service, which will be relayed on loud speakers outside.
On Friday night, Gately's grief-stricken bandmates bore his coffin into St Laurence O'Toole Church, near the star's family home in Dublin's north inner city.
Gately's heartbroken parents Margaret and Martin, brothers Mark, Alan and Tony and devoted sister Michelle, his partner Andrew Cowles and Boyzone manager Louis Walsh then supported each other during a short private prayer vigil at the chapel.
Hundreds of local residents, all with their own special memory of the pop star, lined the streets during his emotional homecoming to his working-class roots.
Gately, 33, will be cremated at Glasnevin Cemetery. This will be followed by a funeral gathering for 450 invited guests at the exclusive Four Seasons Hotel, Ballsbridge.
Walsh said family, friends and loved ones must celebrate Gately's life. In a statement, Westlife said they will be attending as Gately's friends and not as pop stars.
The remaining Boyzone members have had tattoos in honour of Gately, with the letter "S" and dates "76 09" etched on their skin.
From: Google
17 october 2009
Gately's Bandmates Hold Overnight Vigil
Stephen Gately's Boyzone bandmates are holding an overnight vigil alongside his body as it lies in a Dublin church ahead of his funeral.
Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy were watched quietly by onlookers as they carried the body of their friend into the chapel.
The respectful silence was broken with spontaneous ripples of subdued applause, while the words 'Our Steo' could been seen spelt out in flowers alongside the coffin.
The overnight vigil was preceded by a prayer service attended by Gately's family and friends, including Boyzone manager Louis Walsh and a private mass inside St Laurence O'Toole's church.
Today's funeral service will also be a private affair, with only family and friends set to attend.
The survivng Boyzone band members earlier delivered a moving tribute to their late friend.
"Last Saturday our world changed forever when we lost our friend and brother Stephen," Ronan Keating said on behalf of the band in Majorca.
"We have come to Majorca to accompany our pal on his final journey back to Dublin, where we know he will be given an unforgettable send-off tomorrow."
Keating thanked the public for their "countless messages of love and support" that have "truly overwhelmed" them and the Gately family.
He added the future of the band was "too hard to think about" as nothing would "ever be the same without our dearest friend".
As Keating spoke, a tattoo with the numbers "76 09" became apparent on his arm, just below his T-shirt sleeve.
The numbers are said to correspond to the years of Gately's birth and death and each band member is understood to have had a similar tattoo.
"The tattoos were done as a mark of respect for Stephen," a source said.
After returning to Dublin, the bandmates prepared to spend the night watching over their friend inside St Laurence O'Toole's church on the street where Gately grew up, after the singer's mother asked them to.
"Stephen's mother didn't want him to be alone in the dark, so Ronan, Keith, Mikey and Shane have stepped up and will sit with Stephen's body," manager Louis Walsh told Sky News Online.
"He was like their little brother and they want to be a friend to him in death as he was to them in life.
"Stephen was a beautiful young man and we can't believe he has gone."
Volunteers have been working to tidy up the grounds of the small church before the arrival of the mourners.
Celebrity friends including Westlife, Gary Barlow and David Furnish will accompany Stephen's family and friends to the service.
The singer's coffin will be carried into the church by his four bandmates and two of his brothers.
Parts of the Irish capital are expected to come to a standstill as Dublin remembers the boy from Sheriff Street who achieved fame and fortune but never forgot his roots.
From: Sky News
16 october 2009
Boyzone Members Collect Stephen Gately’s Body
Grieving the loss of their bandmate, Boyzone members Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham and Keith Duffy held a press conference at Palma Private Airport in Spain on Friday (October 16).
The group was returning to collect the body of deceased band member, Stephen Gately, who died at his villa on the island after a night out with his partner on Saturday.
Before leaving Palma on their way to Dublin, Keating read a statement telling: “Last Saturday, our world changed forever when we lost our friend and brother Stephen.”
Thanking fans for their encouraging messages, he adds: “What the future holds for the four of us now is too hard to even think about but we know that nothing will ever be the same without our dearest friend Stephen.”
From: Celebrity gossip
(Click on the link to see photo of the press conference)
16 october 2009
Boyzone singer Gately's body arrives home in Dublin
By Andrew Bushe (AFP)
DUBLIN — Thousands of Boyzone fans gathered in Dublin on Friday when the body of singer Stephen Gately arrived home for his funeral following his death in Spain, police said.
People lining the roads outside a local funeral home applauded as a hearse carrying his coffin arrived.
His body had been escorted back to Ireland by the other members of the group: Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy.
With them on the private plane was Gately's partner Andrew Cowles, whom he married in a civil union in 2006.
Before leaving Palma airport on the Mediterranean island of Majorca, Keating read a statement and spoke of the band's grief.
"Last Saturday, our world changed forever when we lost our friend and brother Stephen."
He said the band and Gately's family had been overwhelmed by the messages of love and support they had received.
"What the future holds for the four of us now is too hard to even think about but we know that nothing will ever be the same without our dearest friend Stephen."
Keating promised an "unforgettable send-off" for Gately, 33, who was found dead on October 10 in his holiday apartment in the Majorcan town of Port Andratx.
Keating and his bandmates have had tattoos featuring Gately's birth and death years in commemoration of him.
Irish police have issued a special traffic management plan to deal with the large crowds expected to attend the funeral on Saturday at St Lawrence O'Toole's church in Seville Place, close to his family home.
Close family and friends paid their respects at the funeral home and there was to be a private family mass on Friday.
Local residents have been cleaning and painting the church for the funeral and the surviving members of the band were expected to hold an overnight vigil with Gately's remains.
The band's website says that Cowles has asked that rather than flowers people should make a donation to a children's charity for which Gately was an ambassador.
A further memorial service will be held in London, where Gately and Cowles lived.
An autopsy revealed Gately died due to excess fluid in his lungs, a court spokeswoman in Majorca said.
"He died a natural death of acute pulmonary oedema" which had nothing to do with any consumption of alcohol or drugs, the spokeswoman said.
Pulmonary oedema, or water on the lungs, can be due to either the failure of the heart to remove fluid from the lungs or direct damage to the lung tissue.
Gately joined the Irish pop band Boyzone in 1993 after answering an advert in Dublin for an audition.
The band went on to enjoy huge international success, but split up in 2000.
They reunited seven years later, but their recent 19-date Better tour failed to fill stadiums, despite offers of free tickets.
Gately also starred in West End musicals in London, including "Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat".
From: Google
16 october 2009
Mourners will miss wedding of Bertie niece
Bertie Ahern's niece, Amy Ahern, will walk down the aisle tomorrow without many of her loved ones present when she swaps vows with her long term love Colm D'Arcy.
The bride-to-be has decided to go ahead with her nuptials to long-term love Colm D'Arcy, even though the ceremony will clash with Stephen Gately's funeral.
Westlife
A number of Amy's high profile guests, who were close to Stephen, will have to pull out of the wedding.
Among those who were due to attend were Westlife star, Nicky Byrne and his wife, Georgina Ahern, Cecelia Ahern and her actor boyfriend, David Keoghan, Bertie Ahern and Ronan Keating and his wife, Yvonne, to name but a few.
A family insider explained how Ronan has since pulled out of attending the wedding, while Nicky, the husband of Amy's first cousin Georgina, may make it to the reception but more than likely won't be at the church.
"It's very unfortunate that the wedding was pre-booked for that day but there's no way of changing it now," the source said.
"The hotel and the church were booked months ago and they would have to postpone until next year if they went down that route.
"Obviously Amy and Colm completely understand why some of the better known guests might not make it and they have expressed their deepest sympathies to the Gately family.
"Bertie will still be attending but he will also be making an appearance at the funeral, probably on Friday night," they added.
Amy and her other half have been going out for almost 10 years and have two 13-month-old twin boys, Pierce and Thomas.
Proud
Afterwards the bridal party will decamp to Barberstown Castle to continue the celebrations in style.
Proud dad and former Lord Mayor Maurice Ahern said: "They've been going out a long time so we've all been waiting for the day out."
From: Herald
16 october 2009
Gately's body returned by bandmates
Stephen Gately's grief-stricken Boyzone bandmates have returned to the Irish Republic with the body of their best friend.
The devastated group arrived at Dublin Airport as family, close friends and heartbroken parents, Martin and Margaret, prepared to pay their respects.
Relatives have planned a private prayer vigil with the four Boyzone members also expected to hold an overnight wake.
Gately's body was due to be taken to Jennings Funeral Directors, less than a mile from where he was brought up in the city. The funeral is to take place at St Laurence O'Toole's Church at midday on Saturday.
Before leaving Majorca, Ronan Keating stood arm in arm with Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy and said they were truly overwhelmed at the support they have received in the last week.
It was the first time they have spoken publicly since the 33-year-old singer's death.
"Stephen and Andrew (Gately's partner Andrew Cowles) had chosen to make Majorca their second home and we know that Stephen loved the times they spent together here," Keating said. "The countless messages of love and support we have received this week have truly overwhelmed ourselves and the Gately family. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for each and every one of them."
Gately, who died last Saturday after a night out on the Spanish holiday island, was brought back to Ireland on a private plane with the remaining Boyzone members and the West End star's civil partner.
The weary looking bandmates have had discreet tattoos in honour of Gately, with the tribute "76 09" clearly etched on Keating's upper arm and Lynch's hand.
They are expected to sing at the funeral mass.
From: Buckinghamshire advertiser
16 october 2009
Boyzone bring Stephen Gately home
Stephen Gately's grief-stricken bandmates have escorted the late singer's body back to his hometown.
The group arrived at Dublin Airport as Gately's family and close friends prepared to pay their respects at a private service on Friday night.
The funeral is to take place at St Laurence O'Toole's Church in Dublin at midday on Saturday.
Gately was found dead at his holiday home in Majorca last week. A post-mortem found he died of natural causes.
About 300 people lined the streets near the church, greeting his coffin with gentle applause.
His body's arrival comes as more than 1,000 complaints were made about a Daily Mail column written by Jan Moir on Gately's death.
'Friend and brother'
Before leaving Majorca, Ronan Keating stood arm in arm with Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy, and spoke of the band's grief.
"Last Saturday, our world changed forever when we lost our friend and brother."
"The countless messages of love and support we have received this week have truly overwhelmed ourselves and the Gately family.
"We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for each and every one of them."
In a trembling voice, he added that Gately would be given "an unforgettable send-off" in Dublin.
Keating appeared to have a new tattoo on his arm with the dates 76-09 as a tribute to Gately, who was 33 when he died.
Reading from a statement, the singer continued: "Stephen lived to perform and truly loved being centre stage.
"You can be sure he's looking down now wishing we'd move over so he could flash a smile for the cameras one more time."
Keating admitted the future of the band was "too hard to even think about" but whatever happened "nothing will ever be the same without our dearest friend Stephen".
He also appealed for the media to continue respecting their privacy.
No flowers
Thousands of fans and celebrities are expected at the funeral.
Friends and neighbours have been cleaning the church and surrounding areas in preparation for the ceremony.
Instead of flowers, mourners have been asked to make donations to the Caudwell Children Charity, for which Gately was an ambassador.
Boyzone yesterday visited Father Declan Blake at the church to discuss funeral arrangements.
The group are expected to stay with Gately's body in the church overnight, and are likely to sing at the ceremony.
Gately's manager Louis Walsh has confirmed he will not appear on The X Factor this weekend as he attends the funeral.
From: BBC News
16 october 2009
Boyzone's Ronan Keating: 'Nothing Will Be The Same Without Stephen Gately'
Band pay emotional tribute...
Boyzone have paid tribute to the late bandmate Stephen Gately ahead of his funeral on Saturday.
The Irish boy band gave their first public statement as they prepared the fly the late singer's body home to Dublin from Majorca.
"Stephen lived life to the full and thoroughly loved being centre stage. We're sure he's looking down on us now,” singer Ronan Keating told reporters.
Keating, who was flanked by his remaining bandmates, also thanked the band's fans - but he cast doubt over Boyzone's future.
He said: "What the future holds is too hard to think about. Nothing will ever be the same without our dearest friend Stephen."
Boyzone are due to spend Friday night in St Laurence O'Toole's Church in Dublin with Gately's body.
They will also carry the late singer's coffin along with two members of Gately's immediate family at his funeral.
Gately's friends and thousands of fans are expected to attend the mass, which begins at midday.
The 33-year-old singer was found dead in his apartment in Majorca last weekend. A post-mortem showed Gately had suffered a pulmonary oedema.
From: entertainmentwise
16 october 2009
Boyzone members to spend overnight vigil with fallen friend
In an act of solidarity and love for their late bandmate, the remaining members of Boyzone are to stay in the church with their fallen comrade the night before his funeral, it has been reported.
Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and Ronan Keating will be sleeping in the chapel late tonight (Friday October 16th) because they don''t want the late Stephen Gately to spend the night alone - one of his fears when he was alive, the Daily Mirror exclusively revealed.
The gesture is not protocol in Ireland, where the body is regularly transported to the church the night before but is usually left to rest alone.
A source close to the singers told the newspaper: "It proves how close they were. Those lads would do anything for Stephen and they know he would not want to be there on his own."
Stephen Gately passed away on October 10th due to natural causes, notably a pulmonary oedema.
From: Silent night
16 october 2009
Boyzone to sing at Stephen’s funeral
Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy are all set to sing at Stephen Gately’s funeral tomorrow. The Boyzone stars have yet to decide what they will perform at the service, which is set to be held at St Laurence O’Toole church in Dublin. A host of celebrities and thousands of fans are thought to be joining Stephen’s friends and family to say goodbye to the singer.
Leona attacker was X Factor reject
It’s been revealed that the man who punched Leona Lewis once tried out for The X Factor – but was rejected in the initial stages. 29 year-old Peter Kowalczyk’s father revealed: “He went along and queued for The X Factor. How far he got with it? Nowhere.” Kowalczyk was last night sectioned under the mental health act following the unprovoked attack.
Gary Barlow mourns the loss of his father
Gary Barlow is mourning the loss of his father Colin, who died last night. The star cancelled a performance at the launch of the BBC’s Children In Need so he could rush home and be with his family. It’s thought the 62 year-old suffered a heart attack, and Gary is said to be “devastated”. Our thoughts are with him.
X Factor creates ‘I Love Simon’ banners
It’s been revealed that The X Factor bosses are handing out banners bearing the words ‘I love Simon’ to audience members at the live shows. As if his ego wasn’t big enough, production staff have been creating the banners and giving them to people to hold up during the show. A show insider said: The runners on the show make the banners. We can’t have loads of people bringing banners down, they’re just too bulky.” What a rubbish excuse.
From: Heatworld
16 october 2009
He thought the dead boy was sleeping
THE "third man" who befriended STEPHEN GATELY and his partner on the night the BOYZONE star died saw his body the following day - but thought he was just sleeping and walked away.
Bulgarian student Georgi Dochev, 25, revealed details of Stephen's last hours in a statement to Majorcan police which has been seen by The Sun.
He suggested Stephen's partner ANDY COWLES probably slept beside the singer for a while, unaware he was dead.
Hours later, as Georgi smoked a cigarette in the lounge of the couple's holiday apartment in Port Andratx, he saw Stephen lying on a sofa.
The statement says: "At that moment he thought that the 'dead boy' was sleeping."
The student, who met Stephen and Andy at a gay bar in Palma, also recalled the shocking moment when he finally realised the 33-year-old singer had died.
He said he found Stephen in a foetal position on the sofa, stiff and with blue lips and face
He alerted Andy, who feared Stephen had swallowed his tongue and desperately tried to free it.
The statement came to light as Stephen's grieving bandmates visited Dublin's St Laurence O'Toole church, where his funeral will be held tomorrow.
RONAN KEATING, MIKEY GRAHAM, SHANE LYNCH and KEITH DUFFY met a priest and discussed arrangements with police. Scores of celebrities and thousands of fans are expected at the service.
The band members are expected to return to Majorca today to help distressed internet tycoon Andy bring home Stephen's body - which was taken to Palma Airport last night.
Georgi, of Pont d'Inca, Majorca, gave his sworn account of events at 5.37pm last Saturday, four hours after discovering Stephen's body. The statement begins:
Last night, at around 1.30am, the witness found himself in a bar 'Euphoria' in Palma.
He started a friendship with a couple of lads whose names he does not know.
That after a while, in this bar, they left together to another bar called 'Black Cat,' staying there until approx 4am - and they invited him to accompany them home to carry on having a few drinks.
Afterwards, at around 4.10am, the three of them took a taxi and went to the address of the couple he had met in Port Andratx.
Once at the residence, they were talking and they became intimate, until 5.30am.
Georgi said that at this point, he left Stephen and Andy, and moved to a bedroom so he could sleep.
The statement added: "The couple stayed on the sofa, both sleeping."
Five hours later, at around 10.30am, Georgi heard the doorbell ring "for a long time". But no one answered it and he carried on snoozing.
The statement said: "Around half an hour later, he got up and he saw that the couple were sleeping on the sofa. One of them sat with his feet stretched out and the other curled up on the cushions in the foetal position."
Georgi went back to bed, then heard 32-year-old Andy get up and go into the apartment's other main bedroom, leaving Stephen on the sofa.
Soon afterwards, Georgi wandered back into the lounge for a smoke. The statement said: "At that moment he thought that the 'dead boy' was sleeping.
"So he went into the bedroom where the other boy was until 1pm."
Georgi then had a shower, got dressed and plonked himself down beside Stephen. The statement goes on:
He sits next to the boy on the sofa and, looking at him, gets the feeling something is wrong as he was very motionless and he could see no breathing movements or little snores.
He then took him by the hand and tried to wake him up without success.
He headed quickly to the partner of the dead boy's bedroom and woke him up, saying something was wrong with his partner as he was not reacting.
Both of them headed to the lounge and tried to sit him up, seeing that he was very stiff and in a foetal position with his face on the cushion.
On sitting him up, they saw his lips and face were blue and that a liquid was coming out of his mouth.
As they thought that it was possible he had swallowed his tongue, his partner put a finger in his mouth.
And, at that moment, they realised he was dead so they called the emergency services at between 1.15-1.30pm.
Georgi added that he saw Stephen smoke a cannabis joint in the apartment.
Asked if there had been an argument or anything else that might have made the singer angry, he replied: "No, everything happened like a normal night of partying."
Police and medical experts have said Stephen died of natural causes
A post-mortem examination carried out on Tuesday ruled he suffered an acute pulmonary oedema - a rapid build-up of fluid in the lungs.
Medics hope toxicology tests will determine if the cannabis or other substances acted as triggers.
Last night Georgi was trying to tout his story to Spanish TV stations for £70,000.
He said he had been invited to Stephen's funeral by the family.
But he added: "I don't know what the people will tell about me going to the burial because I know there will be some talking - if I've been his lover or not."
From: The Sun
16 october 2009
Boyzone To Bring Home Stephen Gately's Body
Ronan Keating and his fellow Boyzone bandmates are flying to Majorca to bring home the body of Steven Gately.
The four surviving band members will then spend the night watching over their friend inside St Laurence O'Toole's church on the street where Gately grew up, after the singer's mother asked them to.
"Stephen's mother didn't want him to be alone in the dark, so Ronan, Keith, Mikey and Shane have stepped up and will sit with Stephen's body," manager Louis Walsh told Sky News Online.
"He was like their little brother and they want to be a friend to him in death as he was to them in life.
"Stephen was a beautiful young man and we can't believe he has gone.
Mass will be held at the church this evening after the singer's body arrives and a funeral service will be held at midday on Saturday.
Volunteers have been working to tidy up the grounds of the small church ahead of the arrival of the mourners.
Meanwhile, Gately's Boyzone bandmates visited the inner-city chapel to meet the local priest ahead of the funeral and discuss security arrangements with local police.
Celebrity friends including Westlife, Gary Barlow and David Furnish will accompany Stephen's family and friends to the service.
The singer's coffin will be carried into the church by his four bandmates and two of his brothers.
Parts of the Irish capital are expected to come to a standstill as Dublin remembers the boy from Sheriff Street who achieved fame and fortune but never forgot his roots.
From: Sky News
16 october 2009
Security tight for Stephen Gately's funeral
Security plans were being drawn up last night to accommodate thousands of fans outside the church for Boyzone star Stephen Gately's funeral tomorrow.
The tragic singer's home of Sheriff Street, north Dublin is gearing up for a mini-invasion with band members Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham all lending a hand with preparations yesterday.
Parish Priest, Fr Declan Blake, said they were emotionally “shattered” following Stephen's death in Majorca at the weekend.
The church, which has a capacity of just 550, is being reserved for family, friends, locals and VIPs. Loudspeakers will broadcast the ceremony to the crowd outside.
Gardai will close a number of roads to accommodate the overflow of people from the church grounds and they are calling for the public to respect the fact that they are attending a funeral.
“We are expecting that people will respect that and the sensitivities associated with a funeral,” Store Street Chief Superintendent Patrick Leahy said.
“On the other hand, we are planning for any eventuality and who knows how many people will turn up.
“But if large numbers turn up we will be able to manage that.
“We are also accommodating all of the local people because they are entitled as he is one of their own.”
Sheriff Street was full of life yesterday with locals busy tidying up the church and streets in advance of Stephen's removal this evening.
Boyzone's Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham were also involved in preparing the security plans.
Ronan and Shane paid a visit to Store Street Garda Station for an hour before heading down to the Gately home in Sheriff Street.
They then met Mikey and Fr Blake at the church where they further discussed how best to contain the crowds.
“The lads are all shattered with the news,” Fr Blake said.
He said he was expecting thousands of fans to descend on the area for the funeral.
From: Belfast Telegraph
16 october 2009
Boyzone star's bandmates in all-night vigil
By Sarah Stack
STEPHEN Gately's Boyzone bandmates yesterday visited the church where the star's funeral will be held.
Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham and Keith Duffy made a brief trip to the Dublin inner city chapel to meet the priest ahead of the service tomorrow.
Children cheered as the solemn-looking singers walked from a school adjoining the church.
The four were due to fly to Majorca this morning to bring Gately's body back to Ireland.
A private service will be held tonight, with his grieving bandmates due to stay with him at the church overnight.
The funeral Mass for the 33-year-old singer will be held at noon tomorrow
From: Scotsman
16 october 2009
Boyzone To Stay With Gately's Body In Church
The four remaining Boyzone members will stay with Stephen Gately's body in church overnight before his funeral on Saturday, their manager has told Sky News.
Louis Walsh said Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch will fly back with the body on Friday from Majorca, where the pop star was found dead.
He said the four would stay with Gately in the church in Dublin because, according to the singer's mother, her son would not want to be alone.
Walsh said: "They were like his four fathers and they are going to look after him and they're going to stay with him and we're going to give him the best send off ever on Saturday."
The four singers will be among those who will carry the star's coffin.
They went to the inner city chapel to meet the local priest ahead of the service.
The four were flanked by security at St Laurence O'Toole's while they discussed arrangements with local police.
X Factor judge Walsh said he still did not believe that Gately had died.
"I don't want to think he's actually gone. I still think he's going to walk in smiling," he explained.
Boyzone singer Gately, 33, was found dead last Saturday at his apartment in Majorca after a night out.
A post-mortem found he died of natural causes.
Asked about rumours that Gately had been drinking to excess, Walsh said: "He was on holidays in Majorca. Anyone on holidays goes out and has a few drinks.
"I've never seen him drunk in my life. He was always having fun. He looked after himself, he was very health-conscious and he was in a good place."
Walsh said that he was trying to persuade Gately to appear on the new series of Celebrity Big Brother, but Gately had told him he wanted to perform in the show Jersey Boys in the West End.
He was going for an audition in a few weeks," Walsh said.
"That's the only thing in his life that he hadn't done that he wanted to do."
Meanwhile, the man who found Gately's body says what happened the night he died was "not normal".
Bulgarian Georgi Dochev, 25, said Gately and his partner, Andrew Cowles, had been partying with him, his partner and other friends at a gay nightclub, the Black Cat, in Palma on Friday night.
Mr Dochev then accompanied the couple back to their apartment in Port Andratx, about 20 miles away. The singer was found dead by Mr Dochev and Mr Cowles on Saturday.
Mr Dochev said: "What happened that night is what happened. We know the autopsy results. He died a natural death.
He added: "We were just partying that night but I can't really tell you why I went back to their house. I don't think this is a normal story."
From: Sky News
16 october 2009
Boyzone singer Gately dies in Spain at age 33
MADRID — Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, 33, died on Saturday while on holiday in Majorca off the coast of Spain, the Irish band with a string of hits in the 1990s said on its website.
"Stephen tragically died yesterday whilst on holiday with his partner Andrew in Majorca," the site said on Sunday.
The Boyzone members, including lead singer Ronan Keating, were heading to Majorca following news of the death.
The circumstances surrounding Gately’s death remained unclear but Britain’s News of the World newspaper reported he died after a night out.
Boyzone manager Louis Walsh told the newspaper: "We’re all absolutely devastated."
He said: "I’m in complete shock. I was only with him on Monday at an awards ceremony. We don’t know much about what’s happened yet... He was a great man."
Speaking to the newspaper late Saturday, band member Shane Lynch said: "Me and the boys are flying out in the morning.
"We just need to get over to where he’s passed and work out what we need to do."
Gately, who married his partner Andrew Cowles in a civil union in 2006, sent ripples through the pop music world 10 years ago when he announced that he was gay.
He joined Boyzone in 1993 after answering an advert in Dublin to audition for Ireland’s first boyband.
The band went on to enjoy huge success with six number one singles in Britain, but split up in 2000.
They reunited seven years later, but their recent 19-date Better tour failed to fill stadiums, despite offers of free tickets.
Gately also starred in West End musicals in London, England, including "Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Boyzone lead singer Keating was "completely distraught," the News of the World said, and former Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern paid tribute to Gately, whom he knew, on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show.
He said: "The Gatelys are in my own constituency. I know the family, I know Stephen.
"He (Gately) was with us the other night with his boyfriend Andy, he came to my book launch."
Ahern, whose daughter Georgina is married to Nicky Byrne of boyband Westlife, continued: "It’s just such a tragedy.
"Boyzone and Stephen, they’ve all been part of Irish life and far wider than that, the last 15 years, and so successful, so it’s a huge, huge tragedy. It’s so sad."
Gately last posted a message on his Twitter page on October 6, writing: "Still busy, lots going on. Focusing on finishing my book next so may be quiet here."
British actor and comedian Stephen Fry said on Twitter that he was shocked at the news.
"Just heard the very sad news about dear Stephen Gately. What a dreadful shock. He was loveable and sweet natured and will be hugely missed."
From: Montreal Gazette
15 october 2009
Donations
Stephen Gately tragically died on 10th October 2009 while on holiday with his husband Andrew on the island of Mallorca. Andrew has requested that any donations should be made to the Caudwell Children Charity for whom Stephen was an ambassador. You can make donations to the charity HERE
15 october 2009
Stephen Gately - An Update
Yesterday (Tue 13th), Stephen's body was released by Spanish authorities following an autopsy that confirmed Stephen had died from natural causes. He is now lying in a chapel of rest in a small village in the hills of Majorca whilst repatriation formalities continue. Ronan, Keith, Mikey & Shane visited Stephen's parents in Dublin on Tuesday to pay their respects and confirm the family's final wishes for Stephen. The Boyz plan to return to Majorca on Friday to bring their brother back home to Dublin.
There will be a private family mass in Dublin on Friday night followed by a funeral service at St Lawrence O'Toole church on Saturday at midday. A further memorial service will be held in London, where Stephen & Andrew shared their home, at a date and venue to be confirmed in the near future.
Ronan, Keith, Mikey & Shane would once more like to thank everyone for the great many messages of condolence they have received from all over the world. Seeing the love and warmth that so many people have felt for Stephen has been a true comfort for them over the past few days.
They again ask that their privacy is respected at this time.
14 october 2009
Eurovision fans mourn Steven Gately
Steven Gately, member of Boyzone, one of Ireland's most successful music acts of all time, died tragically this weekend. Today, a post mortem revealed that he died of natural causes. The 33 year old performed at the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest as part of the interval act.
Boyzone performed the song Let the message run free as the interval act at the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin. Lead singer of the group Ronan Keating also co-presented the show, the fourth time in five years that Ireland hosted the competition. His death on Saturday night sparked speculation about possible causes, but it has been confirmed that he died of natural causes. The remaining members of the band have travelled to Spain to bring his body home to Ireland. They will stay with his body before the funeral, due to take place in Dublin this weekend. The band were notoriously close and called Steven their "little brother".
Steven also enjoyed success as a solo singer and performed the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in Londoon. His sudden death at the age of 33 was a tragedy and esctoday.com join fans around the world in sending our condolences to his family and band members.
Louis Walsh told Sky News today that the boys are planning to give him the biggest send off of all time and Dublin is set to come out in force for a man that won the hearts of fans at home and around the world.
From: esctoday
15 october 2009
Boyzone's Gately vigil
Stephen Gately's bandmates are to sleep in church with his coffin tomorrow (16.10.09) and will serve as pall bearers at his funeral on Saturday (17.10.09).
Stephen Gately's Boyzone bandmates are to spend the night with his body.
The four band members - Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and Mikey Graham - have vowed to sleep in the church where the singer's body lies the night before his funeral because he "wouldn't want to be alone".
A source said: "It proves how close they were. Those lads would do anything for Stephen and they know he would not want to be there on his own."
It is traditional in Ireland for bodies to be taken to the church the night before a funeral, but not for anyone to stay there.
Another source said: "People do not stay overnight in churches. It just doesn't happen. They don't even stay the night in funeral homes. But with young people like Stephen, maybe they've discussed their wishes with friends before and told them they would not like to be alone overnight."
The band are preparing to fly back to Majorca - where Stephen died last Saturday (10.10.09) in the holiday home he owned with husband Andy Cowley - today (15.10.09) to escort the 33-year-old star's body back to Dublin ahead of a family wake tomorrow (16.10.09) and funeral service at St Laurence O'Toole's church on Saturday (17.10.09).
The group will all act as pall bearers, carrying the singer's coffin through the church at the funeral.
Meanwhile, Stephen's distraught manager Louis Walsh has turned down the offer to deliver a eulogy at the service because he fears he will break down.
The music mogul - who has pulled out of appearing on UK TV talent show 'The X Factor' on Saturday, on which he is a judge - said: "They asked me to get involved but I couldn't stand up.
"The emotions and nerves would be worse than any 'X Factor' show. I don't like real life - that's why I love the pop business, because it's not real.
"The funeral will hit me hard because it still hasn't sunk in that he's gone. I'm dazed. It will be an awful, dreadful day."
Louis has promised that the funeral will be a time for "celebrating" his friend's life.
He added: "If he's looking down on us from heaven, he's going to love it and be so proud. He gave the world so much joy, so it's only right that's how we remember him."
In addition to the service in Stephen's hometown, a memorial service is also being planned to take place in London, but a date has not yet been set.
Stephen died from an acute pulmonary oedema, a build-up of fluid in the lungs, thought to have been caused by an undetected heart condition
From: China Daily
15 october 2009
Boyzone members to bring Stephen Gately’s body home to Ireland
Ronan Keating and the rest of the surviving members of Irish boy band Boyzone will bring Stephen Gately’s body home to Ireland, it was confirmed today.
Keating, along with Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch, will fly into Majorca on Friday and bring back Gately’s remains for funeral services in Dublin to be held on Saturday.
"The Boyz plan to return to Majorca on Friday to bring their brother back home to Dublin," the band said in a statement.
The Gately family will hold a private Mass on Friday night, followed by a funeral at St. Laurence O’Toole Church in Dublin on Saturday afternoon.
The Irishmen of Boyzone, who visited the Gately family home on Tuesday to comfort Stephen’s parents, have also said that another memorial service for Gately will be held in London, where the late singer and his partner, Andy Cowles, shared their home.
"Ronan, Keith, Mikey and Shane would once more like to thank everyone for the great many messages of condolence they have received from all over the world," they said.
"Seeing the love and warmth that so many people have felt for Stephen has been a true comfort for them over the past few days."
Gately, 33, died in his holiday home in Majorca on Saturday. It was revealed by Spanish authorities on Tuesday that the Irish star died from pulmonary edema, a build-up of fluid on the lungs.
His body is currently lying in a chapel of rest in a small village in Majorca
From: Irish Central
14 october 2009
Boyzone to bring Gately's body back
(UKPA)
The funeral of late Boyzone star Stephen Gately will be held in Dublin on Saturday afternoon, it has been confirmed.
The rest of the band - Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch - will fly to Majorca on Friday to bring his body home.
The Gately family will hold a private family Mass on Friday night followed by a funeral service at St Lawrence O'Toole Church at midday on Saturday.
From: Google
14 october 2009
Stars to head to Dublin to mourn tragic loss of Stephen Gately
Funeral services for Boyzone star to be held in hometown
Boyzone member Stephen Gately’s funeral will take place in Dublin on Saturday, and his famous friends are expected to fly into Ireland to pay their respects.
The 33-year-old Irish singer was close to Elton John and Andrew Lloyd Webber, who have both expressed their condolences and paid tribute to the star.
Gately, who died on Saturday from natural causes, will be given a proper farewell from his Boyzone bandmates, who have been extremely supportive to the singer’s family since his untimely death.
Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch all flew to Majorca, where Gately passed away, to be by the side of Andy Cowles, Gately’s husband of several years.
Now Keating, Graham and Duffy have traveled to Dublin and visited Jennings Funeral Home on Amiens Street to arrange their friend’s burial. They also stopped by the Gately home to discuss funeral arrangements with the family, and to comfort Stephen’s parents, Martin and Margaret.
Lynch is expected to join his bandmates in Dublin in the coming days.
Gerald Kean, an Irish lawyer and spokesperson for Gately’s family, told Ireland’s Evening Herald: “The family are so delighted that the lads from Boyzone are so involved and taking such an active role.
“It’s the way Stephen would have wanted it. Ronan, Mikey, Keith and Shane have been wonderful.”
The funeral service is set to take place at St. Laurence O’Toole Church near where Gately was raised in Dublin.
It was revealed by Spanish authorities on Tuesday that Gately died from pulmonary edema, a build-up of fluid on the lungs.
The Gately family believes the condition was a result of an underlying heart condition.
Despite rumors that Gately choked on his vomit after a night of heavy drinking, a spokesperson for the court said: “I can categorically state that he did not choke on his own vomit”.
Boyzone member Mikey Graham lashed out at those who spread rumors of alcohol and drug abuse, saying: “Stephen passed away innocently, unlike what some media sources are trying to insinuate.
“Their comments are so hurtful and untrue.”
Gately’s family is expected to take Stephen’s body back home in the coming days
From: Irish Central
14 october 2009
Singer's gay confession left adoring adolescents with broken hearts
Stephen Gately, 1976-2009
Stephen Gately was a singer with the Irish boy band Boyzone and went on to establish a successful second career as an actor.
He and Ronan Keating were the group's two main vocalists before the group disbanded in 2000, which followed Gately's decision the previous year to admit he was homosexual - a revelation that disappointed legions of adolescent girls who formed much of the band's fan base.
After the split, Gately released a solo album, New Beginning, which included his version of Bright Eyes, a song he then recorded for a new television version of the film Watership Down. Gately was also the voice of one of the film's characters, Blackavar, which was created to look like him. Another track from the album, I Believe, was also used on the soundtrack to the film Billy Elliot (2000).
Although New Beginning went to the top of the album charts, Gately was dropped by his record label because of lacklustre singles sales. This led to depression, but Gately released several more solo singles and appeared in musicals, taking the starring role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2003 and playing the evil child-catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in London in 2004.
Good looking but quiet and introspective, Gately seldom seemed at ease with the partying lifestyle of a successful teenage pin-up and, before admitting his homosexuality, was forced to explain his lack of girlfriends by telling interviewers he was shy and reserved with girls.
The fourth of five children, Stephen Patrick David Gately was born in Dublin on March 17, 1976. His father was a painter and decorator, his mother a part-time cleaner, and the family struggled financially. As a boy Stephen recalled being sent to school with shoes stuffed with cardboard to keep out the rain.
He joined a modelling agency aged 14, won the all-Ireland disco-dancing championship, and appeared in school musicals. Convinced that his future lay in showbusiness, he constantly practised signing his autograph on the back of his school books.
His big break came in 1993, his final year at school, when he answered a newspaper advertisement and - with 400 other hopefuls - auditioned for the group that eventually became Boyzone. The band enjoyed enormous success with a number of chart-topping hits and Gately was lead vocalist on their biggest hit, No Matter What (1998).
But while Gately's career flourished, his personal life was in turmoil. His first boyfriend, Stephen Howard, whom he had known since childhood, became a heroin addict and hanged himself in 1995, two years after splitting from Gately.
In June 1999 Gately was forced to admit his homosexuality to thwart a newspaper story outing him. Three years later, he broke up with Eloy de Jong, a member of the Dutch boy band Caught in the Act. Another spell of depression followed.
In 2003 he went through a ''commitment ceremony'' in Las Vegas with his new boyfriend, Andrew Cowles, an internet businessman, and entered into a civil partnership with him in London three years later.
An autopsy found Gately died of excess fluid in his lungs and that it had nothing to do with the consumption of alcohol or drugs.
Stephen Gately is survived by his parents and Andrew Cowles
From: Brisbane Times
14 october 2009
Gay partner blames himself for Stephen Gately’s death
The partner of Boyzone’s Stephen Gately who was sleeping in the next room when he died on October 10 has said that he can never forgive himself for the singer’s death.
Andy Cowles expressed his regret to the remaining bandmates, who have flown in to Majorca, over not checking on his lover who allegedly choked on his own vomit after a reported eight hour drinking binge.
He apparently told Ronan Keating and Keith Duffy: “I will never forgive myself for this. He died and I couldn’t help him. I feel like my life is over.”
Seemingly, the bandmates tried to console him and make him understand nothing could be done. “They kept telling Andy that he shouldn’t blame himself – but he just kept crying his eyes out,” the Mirror quoted an insider as saying.
“The guy is in a deep state of shock and he hasn’t slept for a minute since this tragedy unfolded. He is a total mess and everyone is worried about him.
“They told him that there is nothing he could have done and that he has to stop blaming himself.” However, 31-year-old Cowles insisted that they were used to partying hard.
“We have had wilder nights out in Dublin and this was nothing out of the ordinary. I just don’t understand it.
“What hurts most is that he was only yards from me in the room next door and I didn’t even know he was slipping away. If only I had gone in to check him.”
Gately died at his apartment in Palma, Majorca.
From: Sify
14 october 2009
Boyzone Star's Funeral Set For Saturday
Boyzone singer Stephen Gately's funeral is taking place in Ireland this weekend
His heart-broken family said they were trying to get his body home "as quickly as possible" after he died at his holiday home in Palma, Majorca.
Family spokesman Gerald Kean said the funeral was due to take place at noon on Saturday at St Laurence O'Toole's Church, Dublin.
It is thought that Gately's body could be flown home on Friday for a private wake at his family home.
His devastated partner Andrew Cowles visited the singer's body to pay his respects on Tuesday night at the municipal cemetery in Calvia, near Port Andratx.
He stayed for about 15 minutes and left without comment.
It is not clear whether Louis Walsh, who put Boyzone together in the mid-1990s, will attend the funeral.
He paid a glowing tribute to the star and remembered him as a "great, great professional".
A post-mortem found the singer suffered a pulmonary oedema, an accumulation of fluid on the lungs, often associated with heart conditions.
Mr Kean added: "The family are pleased that the post-mortem has been completed.
"They are pleased that the results of the post-mortem vindicate exactly what they said all along, that Stephen died as a result of natural causes.
"They would like to thank the authorities in Spain and Ireland for doing everything in their power to complete formalities as quickly as possible to get Stephen's body home."
Gately's Boyzone bandmates - Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch, made a flying visit to Majorca after the death.
They are expected to return to the island, but it is unclear when.
Medical experts said the post-mortem tests suggest Gately may have been a victim of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS), caused by an undetected heart condition.
Mr Kean said: "There is a heart condition on his dad Martin's side of the family. Stephen would have had no idea he had this condition."
From: Sky News
14 october 2009
Gately funeral set for Saturday
Boyzone singer Stephen Gately's funeral will take place on Saturday in Dublin, a lawyer speaking for the family said.
Gerald Kean said the family were trying to fly his body back to the Irish Republic as "quickly as possible".
On Monday, the results of the post- mortem examination were announced and revealed he died of "natural causes".
Louis Walsh, who created the band, has confirmed he will be attending, but it is not clear if he will be back in time for Saturday's X Factor.
He did not appear on this Sunday's results show out of respect to the singer.
Walsh has paid tribute to the star and remembered him as a "great, great professional".
He told Irish broadcaster RTE the other Boyzone members, including solo star Ronan Keating, are "devastated" by the news.
"It's like they have lost their very, very best friend, and me too.
"The boys are like his family now. The four boys were like four daddies for him."
Boyzone are expected to return to Majorca, but it is unclear when.
The Irish singer was found dead on the sofa in his Majorcan holiday home on Saturday, after a night out with his civil partner Andrew Cowles.
A post-mortem examination revealed he suffered pulmonary oedema, an accumulation of fluid on the lungs.
Further tests are being carried out on the fluid to confirm the result.
Private wake
Widespread newspaper speculation suggested Gately had been drunk or taken drugs the night he died.
"The family are pleased that the post-mortem has been completed." Mr Kean said.
"They are pleased that the results of the post-mortem vindicate exactly what they said all along, that Stephen died as a result of natural causes.
"They would like to thank the authorities in Spain and Ireland for doing everything in their power to complete formalities as quickly as possible to get Stephen's body home," he added.
On Tuesday night, Mr Cowles visited the singer's body, which is expected to be flown to Ireland on Friday for a private wake at Gately's family home.
From: BBC News
14 october 2009
Louis Walsh pays tribute to 'best friend' Stephen Gately as family prepare to bring star's body home
X Factor judge Louis Walsh last night said he and Boyzone had lost their "best friend".
Walsh, who put the band together in the mid-90s, described Stephen as the "glue" that kept the band together "because he kept everyone happy".
And he said he had never seen the singer in better health or better form than last week - when the band met to sort out the final track listing for their new comeback album.
He added: "We're all in shock. Nobody can believe it - the guys, me, nobody.
"The boys are devastated. It's like they have lost their very, very best friend, and me too."
Walsh added that the other Boyzone members - Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham and Keith Duffy - had been like "four daddies" to Stephen, the youngest of the group.
The pop guru was visibly moved as he spoke of Stephen in a cafe in their hometown of Dublin, where he headed on hearing the tragic news.
He said: "Of all the people I've worked with, I don't think anybody thanked me as much as Stephen.
"He used to always say, 'If I wasn't in Boyzone, I don't know where I'd be. Thank you.' "He was a very working class kid. All he wanted to do was sing and go to the west end and he loved Disney - that was Stephen. A great, great, great professional kid."
Walsh, who pulled out of the X Factor live show on Sunday after learning of Stephen's death, also recalled how the singer worried about being outed as gay.
Walsh said: "He lived in fear of the media and the media outed him in the end but then it was a fantastic reaction. There was no negativity."
He added Stephen had taken the 2000 break-up of Boyzone badly and although he went on to forge a stage career, he was key to the reunion plans.
He said: "All Stephen lived for was to be singing music.
"He was down because the band was his life but he picked himself up and got to the west end."
From: Daily Record
14 october 2009
Stephen Gately’s mum says son may have died from hereditary heart problem
Stephen Gately’s shattered mum believes he died from a previously undetected heart condition that has plagued his family.
Margaret Gately told the family’s lawyer Gerald Kean: “As soon as I heard he had died I knew it was a heart problem. It has lifted a huge burden off our family’s shoulders.”
A postmortem yesterday revealed Stephen died from natural causes due to acute pulmonary oedema, a build-up of fluid on his lungs. Most cases are related to heart failure or the early stages of heart disease.
Stephen’s father Martin has seen several relatives die prematurely from heart trouble.
The rest of the Gately family will have medical checks to see if they are at risk.
Mr Kean said: “Margaret felt all along Stephen died from a heart-related problem.
“There is a heart condition on his dad Martin’s side of the family. Stephen would have had no idea he had this condition.”
Last night, Stephen’s distraught partner Andy Cowles made an emotional pilgrimage to view his body. As he looked down on Stephen in his open coffin, Andy, 32, told him: “I will always love you, Stevie.”
Andy whispered further tender messages during the emotional 15-minute pilgrimage to the Calvia funeral home.
Stephen’s Boyzone bandmates will fly out to Majorca later this week to accompany their pal on his final journey back to Ireland.
A close friend said: “They feel it is right and proper they are with him when he comes home and they want to be there to support his family.”
Stephen’s funeral will be on Saturday at St Laurence O’Toole Church in Dublin, a few hundred yards from where he grew up.
The friend went on: “He loved music so that will feature prominently. Ronan Keating is also likely to deliver an eulogy.”
Andy yesterday gave evidence about Stephen’s final hours to a closed hearing in Palma. He was ushered out of court an hour later in tears after signing release papers for his partner’s body. Stephen’s sister Michelle was with him.
Bulgarian Georgi Dochev, 25, who discovered Stephen’s body, will also face a routine quiz in the next few days.
A court spokesman confirmed: “There were no signs of violence in the death.”
From: The mirror
14 october 2009
Stephen Gately death 'may have been sudden adult death syndrome'
Boyzone singer Stephen Gately may have died from sudden adult death syndrome (SADS) caused by an undiagnosed heart condition, medical experts have said
The preliminary results of a post-mortem carried out in Majorca on Tuesday showed that he died of natural causes.
A court official confirmed that there were “no signs of suspicious circumstances” surrounding the sudden death of the 33 year-old Irish pop star on Saturday.
There is nothing to indicate the death was caused by alcohol or drugs,” said a spokesman at the Court of Instruction in the island’s capital.
The official denied earlier reports that the star may have choked to death on his own vomit. “That did not cause his death,” she said.
“Preliminary results of the autopsy found acute pulmonary oedema indicating Stephen Gately died of natural causes.”
Medical experts said such a finding was common in those who had suffered a fatal heart attack.
Dr Sanjay Sharma, a consultant cardiologist at Kings Hospital and the UK’s leading expert on Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS), explained the findings of the post-mortem examination.
"It shows his lungs have been water-logged very suddenly suggesting the heart had failed. In layman’s terms that is a heart attack.
“In young people like Stephen, under 35, the vast majority of cases are caused by either hereditary diseases affecting the heart muscle itself or an electrical fault of the heart.
“If I was a betting man I would say it was an electrical fault, when the heart goes into a fatally fast rhythm, around 300 beats a minute. That would only need to happen for a couple of minutes to result in death.”
He said the chance of saving someone who suffered such an attack was slight. “A medic would have had to have got to him within minutes.
“Often in these cases a first symptom of the condition is death, however he may have suffered palpitations and or blackouts.”
The consultant explained that 90 per cent of SADS cases were men and that 12 people under 35 die from it each week.
Spanish authorities said the examination on the Boyzone singer was completed Tuesday morning but toxicology results would not be returned for several weeks.
Tissue and fluid samples taken during the post-mortem will now be sent to a forensic laboratory in Barcelona for further tests to confirm the result.
“The judge is sending samples away for analysis and if these steps confirm natural causes the case will be closed," added the court official.
Magistrate Carmen Abrines took a witness statement from Gately’s partner Andrew Cowles, 32, late Tuesday morning and will also interview another man present at the couple’s apartment when the singer died.
That person is believed to be Bulgarian Georgi Dochev, 25, who returned to the £1 million pound apartment with the couple after meeting them at a gay nightclub in Palma on Friday night.
He has described how he was first to find Gately’s “white and cold” body slumped on the sofa shortly after 1.30pm on Saturday.
Gately’s body was removed from the morgue following the post-mortem examination and transferred to a funeral parlour in the Calvia district on the southwest of the island.
His body is expected to be flown home to Dublin later in the week.
Gerald Kean, the lawyer representing Gately's family in Ireland, said it may be several days before the body could be repatriated.
"The family's only wish is to get their son and brother home as soon as possible," he said.
A spokesman for Boyzone said the four remaining members of band, Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch, were considering returning to Majorca by private jet to accompany the coffin home.
“It is something they would like to do,” he said.
From: Telegraph
14 october 2009
Stephen Gately’s was more than a Boyzone story
By Sue Carroll
Back in the mists of time, male pop stars were all fine, clean-living young men who didn’t touch drugs, enjoyed only the merest tipple and fell in love with the girl next door. Right?
Or so teenage magazines would have had us believe.
As an 18-year-old I worked on the most famous – Jackie (the best thing for girls – next to boys) and helped fuel the myth that David Cassidy and The Bay City Rollers were purer than the driven snow.
Following the Hollywood tradition, our job was simply to sell the dream, meaning the only thing allowed to be pink was a Rimmel lipstick. In the Jackie universe of Cathy and Claire, floral Etam smocks and knit-your-own bobble hats the concept of boys fancying one another was as unacceptable as it was unheard of.
On the pages, at least. The truth was that one of the men selling the macho teen idol dream to mainly pre-pubescent readers, a truly talented young journalist, was gay himself. (Whether the puritanical male publishers of Jackie recognised his
sexuality is debatable, it’s more likely they knew but would rather miss church on a Sunday than acknowledge it.) The music industry was even more paranoid. Homosexuality (whisper it) was considered the kiss of death to a boy band, their entire financial worth being equal to the amount of mail received from swooning girls.
Even an addiction to crack cocaine would be preferable to dancing at the other side of the ballroom because, it was reasoned, a drug-addled popstar could be “cured”. Being gay, on the other hand, was terminal.
If that seems ridiculous now it’s thanks, in no small part, to Stephen Gately who died at the weekend at the tragically young age of 33.
It would be wrong to say “coming out” was his choice – the decision was taken after a security guard threatened to tell all about Stephen’s relationship with Dutch singer Eloy de Jong.
But it took some guts in a world where it was OK to be gay provided you had the political motivation of a stridently “out” Jimmy Somerville but not when you were being sold as a swivel-hipped Adonis looking for action with pheremonally
challenged teenage girls.
Making a very public statement about his sexuality allowed Stephen an opportunity, rare in his world, to reveal that fancying women was just not in his DNA – and never would be.
You can only imagine the years of frustration and elaborate subterfuge as he and de Jong, his partner at the time, were forced to dodge one another in public – no travelling or checking into hotels together.
Being able to tell the truth, he said, was a weight off his shoulders. It also paved the way for others. I doubt Will Young would have felt comfortable coming out so soon after winning Pop Idol or Westlife’s Mark Feehily had it not been for Stephen proving in the end it was never really important anyway.
His fans were not right-wing bigots nor did they drift away in search of more female-friendly testosterone. They loved him because he was a genuinely good guy with a big heart – and who he shared it with simply did not matter.
NB: It’s very hard to believe the vibrant, always cheerful person I was talking to at the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards last week, is now gone.
All I can think of are James Dean’s prophetic words before his own premature death: “Dream as if you’ll live for ever, live as if you’ll die today.”
From:The Mirror
13 october 2009
Boyzone Star Stephen Gately 'Died Of Natural Causes'
Body could be flown home
Boyzone star Stephen Gately died of natural causes, a post-mortem has found.
An official said the singer suffered a pulmonary oedema, an accumulation of fluid on the lungs.
Gately's body has been released to his family and is expected to be flown home to Ireland.
The 33-year-old was found dead in his apartment on the holiday island of Majorca on Saturday.
Prior to today's announcement, Gately's family lawyer had ruled out foul play or suicide.
From: entertainmentwise
13 october 2009
Boyzone star died of fluid in lungs
Boyzone star Stephen Gately died as a result of a pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs, according to a Spanish court.
The Superior Tribunal in the Balearic Islands, where the Irish boy band singer died Saturday, released autopsy results Tuesday.
The court ruled he died of natural causes and added that there were no signs of violence on his body.
A report in NME magazine, a music publication, said Gately had been drinking the night before and might have choked on his own vomit.
Gately, 33, was on vacation with his spouse, Andrew Cowles, on the holiday island of Mallorca. The couple married in 2006.
His body will be released so he can be flown to Ireland for burial.
Boyzone members Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch released a statement Sunday saying they were "completely devastated by the loss of our friend and brother, Stephen."
"We have shared such wonderful times together over the years and were all looking forward to sharing many more," the statement said.
Formed in 1993, Boyzone sold millions of records and had six No. 1 singles on the British charts, including All That I Need and a cover of the Bee Gees' Words.
Gately also went solo and appeared in stage musicals, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The band reunited in 2008.
From: CBC News
13 october 2009
Gately’s friend traumatised after finding the body
Stephen Gately’s friend says he "cannot sleep" since finding the singer’s body. He discovered the 33-year-old singer in a "crouched, prayer position" the following morning.
Georgi Dochev had returned to the holiday apartment shared by the Boyzone star and his partner Andy Cowles – who he wed in a civil ceremony in March 2006 – after meeting the couple in a gay club in Majorca on Friday.
The 25-year-old Bulgarian said: “I was the one who found him. I am devastated. I came from the bedroom and found him dead and I woke his partner. He was white and very cold.
“I was the one who called the ambulance because Andy was too upset. He was holding Stephen.
“It’s awful, I am in shock and I cannot sleep for days. It is really upsetting. I have only known him for a while. I have talked to the police but I cannot speak of other things. I just wish I could have saved him."
Andy has been left devastated by the tragedy and was being comforted by Stephen’s bandmates – Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy.
The group were quick to console Andy during the meeting at a hotel close to the couple’s apartment in Port Andratx but are still in a state of shock themselves.
A source said: “Andy is in a deep state of shock.”
Boyzone issued a statement about the tragedy on Sunday but have been too distressed to speak since then.
The source added: "Ronan and the boys are too sad to make any decisions.
"This may be the end of the group. Or they might finish the album and dedicate it to Stephen's memory. He lived for Boyzone."
Police believe Stephen died after choking on his own vomit, but Andy – who had originally planned a quiet night in with the star – insists they hadn’t been drinking heavily.
He said: “We have had wilder nights out in Dublin and this was nothing out of the ordinary. I just don’t understand it. What hurts most is that he was only yards from me in the room next door and I didn’t even know he was slipping away. If only I had gone in to check him.”
A post mortem is due to take place on the star’s body.
From: Timeslive
13 october 2009
South Yorkshire tribute's to Boyzone's Stephen Gateley
By Claire Lewis
SHEFFIELD based songwriter-to-the-stars Eliot Kennedy has paid tribute to tragic Boyzone member Stephen Gately following his shock death aged 33.
Eliot, who runs Steelworks Studio in Sheffield and has worked with artists including the Spice Girls, Take That, Bryan Adams and Celine Dion as well as Boyzone, said he was shocked by the pop star's death.
The Irish boy band singer was in Majorca with his husband Andrew Cowles when he was found dead in their villa on Saturday. The cause of death is not yet known, and a post mortem examination is due to be carried out today
"My memory of him is that he was just a lovely guy who loved music, loved entertaining, and who had a great rapport with his fans," Eliot told The Star today.
"The death of anyone so young is always tragic. I was shocked when I heard about Stephen - his death will be a huge loss to all his and Boyzone fans."
Eliot wrote the hit single Picture of You for the band, which was put together in 1993 by X Factor judge Louis Walsh and which reformed for a reunion tour last year. The four remaining members of Boyzone - Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch - flew to Majorca on Sunday after news of the tragedy broke.
Eliot said of the band: "I wrote Picture of You and when I met the band it was Stephen and Ronan Keating who had the meeting. They were on tour at the time and I remember Stephen being really excited about everything they were doing - he was full of life.
"My thoughts are with his family and the other band members - they are such a good bunch of friends. I am sure they will pay a fitting tribute to him once they have come to terms with this."
In Bawtry, Doncaster, there was shock today over the death of a star who treated the town as his 'home from home'.
Stephen was last in Bawtry in May when he stayed with the rest of Boyzone at The Crown Hotel preparing for their tour. The group arrived with a fleet of tour buses and took up 55 rooms at the four star hotel, where their five night stay was kept secret until after they had left.
Staff at the hotel yesterday sent a message of condolence to Stephen Gately's loved ones via the group's management.
Hotel sales manager Katey Dent said: "We were gutted to hear about Stephen's death. Boyzone had stayed with us twice and were potentially due to come back again next year.
"We had a lot of contact with them while they were here. Stephen was absolutely fantastic, and shone out of all of them. He was lovely - a cheeky chap. Obviously there were people who recognised them while they were here, and he stood out as the one who was always ready to talk and share a joke with them.
He was a genuinely nice guy."
Luke Walker, who runs Bawtry Health and Fitness Studios where the group trained on their visits to South Yorkshire, said items signed by the star had been auctioned off only on Saturday evening as part of a fundraiser for the Yorkshire Kidney Research Foundation.
Boyzone had used the Bawtry gym every day during their stay in Doncaster, and Luke and club member Simon Boguszewski had rushed to get the items signed by the stars minutes before they were due to leave. "Stephen and the other guys were so helpful, signing anything for us," he said.
"Everyone who has been in the gym since the news broke has said how sad it is.
"It feels like one of our members has died
From: The Star
13 october 2009