This is shocking and unfathomably sad. Growing up in the UK, at the time his boyband was at its biggest in the charts, this news is especially disturbing. According to reports from several major news outlets Stephen Gately, of chart-topping 90’s Irish boyband Boyzone, has been found dead.
Stephen Gately, 33, died in his sleep. According to The Daily Mail, he died while on holiday in Majorca. I went and researched this, as it at first appeared to be reported only in the News of the World, and we all know how they roll.
However, several other outlets and TV/ media cross-over sites have also picked up the story, so it seems to be true. I was in my early tweens when his band was in the charts with songs like Words and Let the Reason be Love. They were less-so my cup of tea than their leather-clad chart rivals, Take That, of which Robbie Williams was a member. However the boys had vocals, and I watched them both on the now defunct Top of the Pops, every other week.
Boyzone manager Louis Walsh said, “We’re all absolutely devastated. 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. “I only heard after The X Factor and we will rally around each other this week. He was a great man.” All four remaining members of Boyzone – Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham – will be flying to Palma, Majorca tomorrow. (via The Times)
Boyzone star Stephen Gately has been found dead at the age of 33. The singer fell asleep after a night out while on holiday in Majorca yesterday and never woke up. (via The Daily Mail)
Videos of some of Stephen Gately (March 17, 1976 to October, 10 2009) and Boyzone’s hits, and six photos from 2008 to 2009 are under the cut.
[UPDATE: This news is 100% true, as it is being reported on both Stephen Gately's official website and Boyzone's official websites, already].
As an update to the earlier details, I just wanted to quickly add that the story has been confirmed as 100% true, for those in doubt. The official website of Gately has already been replaced with a memorial message with his name, the date of his death, and his photo.
The official Boyzone website has a message informing us that Gately was on holiday with partner Andrew Cowles, whom he married in a civil union in March 2006, at the time of his death. The remaining band members are in Majorca.
Stephen tragically died yesterday whilst on holiday in Majorca with his partner Andrew. We have no more details at the moment. The rest of the band are traveling to Majorca this morning. (via Official Boyzone site)
Boyzone, with Stephen Gately, from 1998, No Matter What song music video.
Boyzone, with Stephen Gately, from 1996 popular song Words music video.
Boyzone, with Stephen Gately, from 1994 Love me for a Reason music video.
Image credit to Flynet Pictures. Story via The Times, The Daily Mail and Sky.
Wow! This is truly sad! My prayer go out to his family and friends (and fans). The year has been full of so many deaths!!! Its almost abnormal!
Do they know how he died?
Thanks for the comment, Jay. No one has the details of how he died yet. I’ve been researching it since the story broke and all I found so far is that he died in his sleep. This is so shocking. It’s just been the most horrid Summer for this sort of story.
Terrible. You can literally log onto the net everyday to find some young celebrity has been taken before their time.
To die in his sleep at 33 – everyone will be assuming drugs of course, but he just doesn’t seem the sort to be that stupid. He’s always so full of life and always so cheerful.. there HAS to be another cause…
If it is drugs, something seriously has to start changing…. it’s just getting rediculous.
Thanks for the comment, Lory. It’s so true what you said. It’s just been weeks and weeks of shocking sad news stories, just like this one. I will be watching to see the follow up reports that are generated from this. I’m not one to assume, and regular readers know that. So if or when an autopsy report or other details are published, I’ll post a new update.
It just doesn’t end…
Everywhere I turn. Even in my own personal life, now I’m taking care of my dying aunt who was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has been given less than 6 months to live.
This is just awful. I want 2009 to end already.
I agree, this has been an unreal and very heart-breaking year. So very, very sorry to hear about your Aunt. I hope she is at least comfortable, in her final months. xoxo
Thank you, Amy.
Strange thing about dying people…they get so angry and cranky. I went to inject her today and she almost slapped the syringe out of my hand. I’ve been injecting her with morphine twice a day and giving her 15 mg morphine tabs as needed to make sure she’s in no pain.
This is an unbearable situation during an unbearable year. I just keep thinking…who’s next? Do you?
I watch the news reports like a hawk and am dreading to think who’s next! I hope we make to the end of the month without losing anyone else. Turns out Stephen died from choking on his own vomit after a night of drinking, according to what I’ve read so far. I’m going to watch the reports come in all night and update in the morning, about how Stephen Gately died and his final hours.
This is in response to both Amy and Cathy:
Amy, see my comment on the other Stephen Gately post where I wondered incredulously where his “husband” was when this was going on.
Cathy, the nurse only comes on Sundays!! Can you believe it? But with New York State’s dismal fiscal situation everything has been cut back and that includes palliative care (which my cousin, her daughter, opted for…even though she’s not home during the day because she is terrified of losing her job).
We do have this thing called a home attendant that basically means she gets a person to prepare meals and clean and shop and go to the pharmacy. But she is not allowed under state law to administer any medication. A family member or nurse can do that under NYS law. I worked as a nursing unit coordinator once so I’m used to syringes, needles and meds. Never mind that the ONLY things that are fully metric in the U.S. are medication dosages and it seems incredibly difficult for her daughter to understand the difference between 1 cc and 1 mL.
The most difficult thing about this? Having to answer “What’s wrong me?” over and over again and having to tell her that she has a precious few months left. Her doctor has ordered us not to lie to her about her diagnosis. He’s a very nice man trained by the same oncologist that treated my boyfriend for lymphoma several years ago. Still, my aunt doesn’t believe me when I tell her that she has very little time left. And yes, pancreatic cancer is awful. It has spread to her liver, lungs and has created these very big and very nasty blood clots that have to be treated with another injection (Arixtra).
And as far as who’s next…Captain Lou Albano died last night. Remember him from the 80s? He was the wrestler that hung out with Cyndi Lauper.
So tragic for his husband and family.
To those saying it is impossible to die of natural causes at 33, that is nonsense. One of my friends dropped dead from a heart condition he didn’t know he had, he was only 20 and seemed very fit and healthy. At this stage, nobody knows what happened, just seems like he died in his sleep.
I am sorry to hear of your aunt’s terrible illness it must be very hard for you to see someone you love in distress. I talk has someone who knows how you feel has I had a sister who died 2 yrs ago of cancer. My sister became very depressed due to her cancer which is only to be expected, your aunt probably doesen’t mean to be cranky its all down to this terrible disease. I am surprised you inject your aunt with morphine when my sister was ill the district nurse came 3 times aday to inject her, in between she took oramorph liquid herself. I too think there are too many bad things happening all at once it makes it really hard to be positive but you have to be for your own sanity. Wish you and your aunt the best, Cathy.