The untimely death of singer Stephen Gately in 2009 shocked the world. Discover the tragic events surrounding his passing, the poignant memories shared by his bandmates, and the enduring impact of his loss on those closest to him.
The year 2009 should have been a happy one for Stephen Gately , who was riding a high in both his personal and professional life. To the delight of fans, the newly reunited Boyzone had just wrapped up their Back Again... No Matter What tour, and were working on studio album number four - Brother. 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. The following day, Stephen was found dead at just 33 years old. In the upcoming three-part documentary Boyzone: No Matter What, which will air on Sky on February 2, bandmate Ronan Keating recalled the moment he first learned of the death of Stephen, who he and other Boyzone members affectionately referred to as 'Steo.' It was then down to Ronan to break the news to the rest of Boyzone, as well as their manager Louis Walsh. Showing emotion in the doc, Ronan recalled: 'My phone rang, it was a solicitor by the name of Gerald King that Boyzone had used in the 90s. 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 guys and give them 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. Speaking to the Mirror at the time, a neighbour recalled, 'I spoke to them on the Saturday evening and they said they were just going to chill out at home. Stephen said he was tired and was on a health kick, so he was staying off alcohol during his holiday.' But something must have changed their minds, and the couple headed for dinner and drinks in the nearby city of Palma instead. The next afternoon, Stephen was found dead on the sofa. He had suffered 'acute' pulmonary oedema - or fluid on the lungs - caused by an undiagnosed heart condition. The pathology report confirmed his death was not related to drink or drugs, and he'd been on good form in the days before, with his widower telling the Mirror: 'I do get some comfort from knowing how happy he was that day. The night he died, we'd had such a good time, a lovely evening in our favourite restaurant. He was the most happy and confident he'd been in his life.' While out, they met model and student Georgi Dochey in a bar and partied at the Black Cat club before the three of them headed back to Stephen and Andrew's place at around 5.30 am. There, Georgi said they kissed before Stephen fell asleep on the sofa next to Andrew, and he headed to a spare room. He was woken by the doorbell at 8 am but decided that as a guest, it wasn't his place to answer - a move that would torture him for years to come. 'I heard someone ringing constantly. I got up and looked into the living room and saw Stephen and Andy still lying on the sofa. 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. I think about what might have happened if I had tried to wake him. Could he still be alive? It is really hard to think about things like that.' Georgi said he and Andrew were intimate in a bedroom hours later and that it was only when he stopped to have a cigarette on his way out that he noticed Stephen hadn't moved from his 'curled up' position on the sofa. '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 tried to revive him by giving him mouth-to-mouth, but there was nothing either of us could do.' Stephen was pronounced dead at 2.25 pm but had passed away in his sleep hours before. '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 died due to a pulmonary oedema, originally believed to be caused by an undiagnosed 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
Stephen Gately Boyzone Death Heart Condition Pulmonary Oedema Tragic Death Andrew Cowles Georgi Dochey Majorca
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