Stephen Gately found dead [photo via News of the World]
The Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, 33, has been found dead while on holiday in Majorca.Boyzone manager Louis Walsh told the newspaper,
The group's tour website said that he had "tragically died" and that the rest of the band would be flying out to Majorca on Sunday. The website also said Gately had been on holiday with his long-term partner Andy Cowles when he died on Saturday. Boyzone announced their comeback tour last November. The band had six UK number one hits between 1994 and 2000.
The News of the World's showbusiness editor Dan Wootton told Sky News Gately had gone out for drinks, returned to his accommodation and gone to sleep, but never woke up.
Gately revealed that he was gay and had a boyfriend in June 1999. The two later married in a private civil partnership ceremony in London in 2006.
After Boyzone split Gately continued his career as a solo artist, but was dropped by Polydor in 2001 after three Top 20 singles. He enjoyed further success performing in musicals, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2003-04. Gately also appeared in 2007 on ITV1's reality series Dancing on Ice, and was voted Hero of 1999 at the Smash Hits Poll Winners' Party.
We're all absolutely devastated.Shane Lynch, a member of Boyzone, 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.
I only heard after The X Factor and we will rally around each other this week. He was a great man.
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.
Stephen Gately, 1976-2009 [photo via News of the World]
Read more at The News of the World ("Boyzone star Stephen Gately dies")
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