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Boyzone Star Stephen Gately Dies


James R

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he Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, 33, has been found dead while on holiday in Majorca.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 Irish band had six UK number one hits from 1994 to 2000.

The News of the World's showbusiness editor Dan Wootton told BBC News Gately had gone out for drinks, returned to his accommodation and gone to sleep, but never woke up.

Boyzone manager Louis Walsh, who is due to appear as a judge on The X Factor results show on Sunday, told the newspaper: "We're all absolutely devastated."

He 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."

Music journalist Paul Gambaccini said: "He's a performer with the word 'boy' in his professional title and boys aren't supposed to die.

"This is way too soon and way too unspecific for us to feel that this is at all the right thing to happen.

"It's sad on a personal level and a professional level."

Boyzone sold more singles than Take That in the 1990s, he said, and had 16 Top 5 singles.

A year before Boyzone split, Gately revealed that he was gay and had a boyfriend, in June 1999.

The two later held a private civil partnership ceremony in London in 2006.

After Boyzone, 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.

His last message on the social networking site Twitter, posted on 6 October, said: "still busy - lots going on. Focussing on finishing my book next so may be quiet here" (sic)

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8301187.stm

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So it is not revealed how it died yet, a mystery to be solved I see!

Inappropriate poll+ thread anyone? Kidding ;P

I really am not interested.

As I've said before, was never a Boyzone fan, but it's sad and shocking to see someone has died that young.

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Very sad indeed. I wouldn't say I was ever a huge Boyzone fan but I did like some of their songs and they were undoubtedly one of the biggest bands of my childhood. Certainly no-one deserves to die that young, my thoughts are with his friends and family. RIP.

Wonder if there'll be a Boyzone tribute on tonight's X Factor results show?

So save the last dance

For me my love 'cause I

I see you as an angel freshly fallen from the sky...

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I wonder if any of the papers will retract any of their "8 Hour Booze Bender" / "Choked on his own vomit! stories now? Tho the sun yesterday did say something about his lungs being full of fluid so they are getting some of the correct information from somewhere??

It all just seems a bit bizarre doesn't it? Whether any of it is the truth or not, it is just very, very sad :(

I wasn't a Boyzone fan back in the day as it was always Take That for me but since they got back together I went to see them twice and I have to say the highlight of the last show for me was Stephen singing Beyonce's Single Ladies!

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