For Stephen Gately, who was enjoying both his personal and professional life, 2009 ought to have been a happy one. The newly reunited Boyzone had just wrapped up their Back Again… No Matter What tour and were working on Brother, their fourth studio album. Sadly, Stephen would not live to see the album’s release.
In October of that year, the Dublin-born singer and his partner, the internet tycoon Andrew Cowles, had decided to take a month-long working holiday in the swish Majorcan resort of Port d’Andratx. On Saturday, October 9, 2009, Stephen and Andrew had been busily decorating their £1 million holiday home, ready for the arrival of friends and family. Stephen, who was 33 years old, was discovered dead the following day.
Ronan Keaton, a band member, and other Boyzone members affectionately referred to as “Steo,” in the upcoming three-part documentary Boyzone: No Matter What, which will air on February 2. The rest of Boyzone, as well as their manager Louis Walsh, had Ronan’s responsibility to break the news.
Ronan recalled how angry the doc was when a lawyer by the name of Gerald King that Boyzone had used in the 1990s rang. Gerald Keen says to me, ‘ I’m sorry to tell you, but Stephen has passed away. ‘ I said, ‘ Stephen who? ‘ And he said, ‘ Stephen Gately. ‘ I had to call Louis and the other guys to get the news.
For loved ones and fans alike, Stephen’s death was a terrible shock, with the sudden nature of the tragedy prompting his grieving family to seek answers.
A neighbor at the time told the Mirror that they were just going to “chill out” at home when they spoke to the Mirror at the time. Stephen claimed he was tired and enjoying his vacation, so he avoided alcohol.
However, something must have changed, so the couple instead made the trip to Palma for dinner and drinks. The next afternoon, Stephen was found dead on the sofa. He had an undiagnosed heart condition that had resulted in “acute” pulmonary oedema, or fluid on the lungs.
His widower told the Mirror: “I do get some comfort from knowing how happy he was that day. His death was not related to drink or drugs,” according to the pathology report. The night he died, we’d had such a good time, a lovely evening in our favourite restaurant. He had always had the best of both happiness and confidence in his life.
After drinking in a bar at the Black Cat club, the three of them met Georgi Dochey, a model and student, and headed back to Stephen and Andrew’s house at around 5:30 am.
Georgi claimed that they exchanged a kiss there before Stephen snoozed on the sofa next to Andrew. He then left for a spare room. At 8 am, he was awakened by the doorbell, but he decided it wasn’t his time to answer, which would torture him for the rest of his life.
“I heard someone ringing constantly. Stephen and Andy were still lying on the sofa when I got up and looked into the living room. I just thought”, It’s not my house, I can’t answer the door, “Georgi previously told the Daily Mail”. I don’t know if Stephen was already dead. If I had tried to wake him up, I consider what might have transpired. Could he still be alive? Such a thought is very difficult to come by.
Georgi claimed that Stephen hadn’t left his “curled up” position on the sofa until he stopped smoking a cigarette on his way out, where he and Andrew had been sleeping.
” I went to take his pulse and couldn’t find one. I knew he was dead, “he told The Sun in 2014, admitting he didn’t know how to break the news to Andrew, who by that point was said to be sleeping in the couple’s bedroom. I went into the bedroom and said, ‘ I’m going. Let’s wake Stephen up so I can say goodbye. Andy replied, ‘ No, leave him sleeping, ‘ and that’s when I told him Stephen looked strange”, he said.
Reliving the heartbreaking scenes as Andrew frantically tried to revive his husband, Georgi continued, “Andy was whispering, ‘ Come on baby, wake up’. He began slapping him around the face when he didn’t respond. When he, too, realised he was dead, he broke down in tears. He then attempted to revive him by mouth-to-mouth, but neither of us could do anything.
Stephen passed away in his sleep hours before being declared dead at 2.25 pm. “We know from the pathologist’s report that Stephen died sleeping with me on the sofa”, devastated Andrew told the Mirror. I know that my boy fell asleep under my arm, his heart stopped, he didn’t feel any pain. “
Stephen passed away from a pulmonary oedema, which was initially thought to be the result of a poorly understood heart condition. However, a post-mortem and toxicology report showed that, while Stephen did indeed die of natural causes, his death had ultimately been caused by a congenital heart defect.
But in 2014, Stephen’s family called for a fresh investigation into his death, which coroners ruled was due to natural causes”. His brother Tony, who was unsure of why Stephen fell asleep on the couch, told The Sun that a few things about that night don’t make sense.
But Andrew branded Tony’s comments” groundless “and said they had” stirred up a lot of vileness”.
He said at the time:” I’m saddened that I’m still dealing with the estate and unable to grieve privately. Because I manage the estate and have to maintain impartiality, it’s particularly challenging. Some of the insinuations are dreadful. “
Shane Lynch recalled Ronan’s announcement to him and the rest of the bandmates in the upcoming documentary. He shared:” It was late, in the bar we’re drinking. As I left the crowd, Ro’s voice became louder in my phone. He was like, ‘ Steo, Steo, he’s gone. ‘ “
” ‘ Our Stephen? ‘ ‘ Yeah, he’s gone, ‘ Mikey Graham remembered, while Keith Duffy told viewers: “It just wouldn’t go in. What? No, not our Stephen”!
Meanwhile, Ronan was unable to hold back his tears as he took over, saying: “And I hear them screaming. It’s really hard. I can still hear them. I can’t breathe. My legs “go from under me.”
“It would get through in little bits, and then it would be a complete breakdown”. Mikey described feeling “numb,” while Keith said otherwise.
The surviving Boyzone members flew out to see Stephen the next day and bring his body home. They released the following statement: “We are completely devastated by the loss of our friend and brother, Stephen. Over the years, we have enjoyed many wonderful times together and were eager to share more.
In both body and spirit, Stephen was “a beautiful person.” He enchanted both our lives and those of our numerous friends who lived there. Our love and sympathy go out to Andrew and Stephen’s family. We love you and will miss you forever, ‘ Steo’. “
You can watch Boyzone: No Matter What on Sky from February 2 onwards.
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia. banim@reachplc.com. Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
Source: Mirror
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