More like this
Spanish holiday delays Gately post-mortem
Police in Majorca want to interview Bulgarian, but foul play is not suspected
Because today is a Spanish public holiday, the post-mortem on Stephen Gately, the Boyzone singer found dead on Saturday at his holiday apartment in Majorca, will not be carried out until tomorrow.
A spokesman for Gately's family has already said that his death was due to natural causes and ruled out a drugs overdose or suicide. There are reports this morning, based on information from Majorcan police sources, that he may have drunk too much on a night out with his partner Andrew Cowles (above right, with Gately) and choked to death on his own vomit. His body was apparently found in a kneeling position, with his face buried in the sofa.
The four surviving members of Boyzone - Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and Mikey Graham - flew out to Majorca on Sunday evening. They described Gately as "our friend and brother". The band's manager, Louis Walsh, was so upset at the news that he pulled out of Sunday night's X Factor, leaving an empty chair on the judges' panel.
Gately and Cowles shared the apartment in Port d'Andratx, just west of the island's capital, Palma. It is understood they went out drinking on Friday night at the Black Cat, a well-known gay club in Palma, and returned to the aprtment early on Saturday accompanied by a Bulgarian man they had met. Police were reported to be seeking to interview the man, known only as Giorgio, though it is stressed there were no signs of foul play.
A spokesman for Gately's family, the Dublin lawyer Gerald Kean, said his death was "a tragic accident" and that "nothing untoward" had happened. The family is hoping to fly his body home for a funeral in Dublin at the end of the week.
Boyzone were one of the most popular boy bands of the 1990s. Gately was admired in the gay community for coming out in 1999 and risking his popularity with the band's fanbase of mainly teenage girls. He was introduced to Cowles by Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish. They married in a civil partnership in 2006.
The band reformed in 2007 for a string of comeback concerts and were working on a new album due to be released next year. ·
Comments are now closed on this article
Comments
How can anyone say it was a 'tragic accident' when the post mortem hasn't been performed? If a tabloid claimed it was a drugs overdose without evidence, they'd be criticised, but apparently the family 'know' it was an accident. Of course, 33 year old men die frequently from accidents in bed. Chances are it was overindulgence in the legal drug alcohol, and choking on vomit while unconscious which caused his death; happens all the time with heavy drinkers. But come on; another minor talent elevated by Walsh to make a quick buck from a 'boy band' which usually last until that generation of teenage girls have grown up. A 33 year old is not a natural 'boy band' member.