As I’m sure you are all aware by now Boyzone member Stephen Gately has sadly died at the age of 33. Stephen passed away on Saturday night whilst on holiday in Majorca. Although, it is unknown what caused his death, foul play and suicide have been ruled out. According to news reports the singer was said to be in high spirits and had returned from having a few drinks with friends. On his return home he went to sleep and ‘never woke up again’. Family friend Gerald Kean speaking on behalf of Gately’s family said: ‘It's just a tragic accident’ and continued that “There is nothing untoward, it's not drugs, we don't believe, it's not suicide, it's not murder, and it’s not a fight. That's what we've been told." It has been suggested that an eight hour drinking session may have been the cause; however Stephen’s family denied this as it seems to be out of character for him. They said: "We are not saying he was not drinking but eight hours is not something we accept.”
Louis Walsh, Boyzone manager & close friend, was absent from the X Factor results show last night. He, along with other members of Boyzone had flown out to Majorca to mourn with members of Stephen’s family. As today (12 Oct) is a national holiday in Spain the results determining the cause of death will not be known until tomorrow, when a post- mortem can be carried out.
Stephen joined Boyzone in 1993 when he auditioned for the band after seeing an advert to form a boy band. Boyzone went on to become extremely successful, not just in Ireland but also in the UK Europe and Australia. They went on to achieve six number one singles and four number one albums, with sales of around 20 million. After the group split in 2000 Stephen went onto have a solo career and had success acting in stage musicals in the West End. Boyzone reformed in 2007 rekindling their previous success.
Stephen’s death comes as very sad news and is even more tragic due to the fact that he seemed to be a healthy young man , who had so much of his life still ahead of him. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this very sad time.
