Stephen Gately
Encyclopedia
Stephen Patrick David Gately (17 March 1976 10 October 2009) was an Irish
pop singer–songwriter
, actor
, dancer, musician
and author
, who, with Ronan Keating
, was one of two lead singers of the pop group Boyzone
. All of Boyzone's studio albums hit number one in the United Kingdom
, their third being their most successful internationally. With Boyzone, Gately had a record-breaking sixteen consecutive singles enter the top five of the UK Singles Chart
. He performed for millions of fans globally. He released a solo album in 2000, after the group's initial breakup, which charted in the UK top ten and yielded three UK hit singles, including the top three hit "New Beginning". Gately went on to appear variously in stage productions and on television programmes as well as contributing songs to various projects. In 2008, he rejoined his colleagues as Boyzone reformed for a series of concerts and recordings.
Gately wed Andrew Cowles, first in a commitment ceremony
in Las Vegas
in 2003 and more formally in a civil partnership ceremony in London
in 2006. Gately made his sexuality known in 1999 and came out
in a blaze of publicity. Upon Boyzone's reformation, Gately featured as part of the first gay couple in his band's music video in what was to be his last with the band, for the song "Better
". Gately died in an apartment that he and Cowles owned in Majorca, Spain on 10 October 2009. Brian Boyd in The Irish Times
stated: "Stephen Gately’s death represents the first time that the boyband genre has had to deal with such a tragic situation". Tim Teeman of The Times
(UK) heralded Gately as a hero of gay rights for his response to being "smoked out of the closet".
at North Strand Technical College. As a teenager he appeared in various musicals and theatre performances at school, such as Juno and the Paycock
. He was estranged from his parents for years, but reconciled with them in 2008, and visited them with Andrew Cowles that year.
that year, which presenter Gay Byrne
dismissed—although he later concluded: "They certainly had the last laugh on us". Boyzone's first success outside Ireland was when the song "Love Me for a Reason
" reached number two in the UK Singles Chart
in 1995. The group split suddenly following a string of performances in Dublin's Point Theatre
in 2000. By the time Boyzone originally rested the band, they had achieved six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. They were considered a major pop band of the 1990s and had a much publicised rivalry with UK boy band Take That
, even selling more singles than them. Gately shared the majority of lead vocal work with Ronan Keating.
A February appearance at the 2008 Meteor Awards
relaunched the reformed Boyzone, with touring taking place throughout 2008. After his death, manager Louis Walsh described Gately as "the glue in Boyzone, he kept them all together". Keating informed the congregation at Gately's funeral that he had nicknames for them all; "the campest straight band in the world"—Rosaleen, Michaela, Kitty, Shanice and Stephanie.
Two weeks later the album New Beginning was released and entered the charts. The album included twelve tracks including a version of the classic "Bright Eyes
", which he recorded for the soundtrack to a new TV version of Watership Down
. He also voiced one of the characters in the film, Blackavar, which was created to look like him.
The second single taken from the album was "I Believe". Released on 2 October 2000, this song also featured on the soundtrack to the film Billy Elliot
. The single just missed the UK top ten, peaking at number eleven. He attended the premieres of the film both at the Edinburgh Film Festival and at the Empire Theatre in Leicester Square
, along with the stars of the film, Julie Walters
and Jamie Bell
. In May 2001, Stephen's third single, "Stay", was released and reached number thirteen in the UK chart. That month, with his single still in the charts, his record company Polydor dropped him from their label.
In January 2007, Gately was heard in Horror of Glam Rock
, a Doctor Who
audio drama produced by Big Finish Productions
for BBC7. For this audio play, Gately recorded an original song, "Children of Tomorrow", with music by Tim Sutton and lyrics by Barnaby Edwards
; this was his first solo track since 2001.
. Gately had been the most eager to reform and urged his bandmates to come together again. They sold out two more tours of the United Kingdom.
Boyzone released a brand new single, "Love You Anyway
", followed by a new compilation album
in October 2008. December 2008 saw the release of a second new single, "Better". The video for the song generated controversy, as scenes depicting romantic couples included a shot of two men embracing, in an inclusive nod to Gately's homosexuality. The group unanimously agreed that Gately should be allowed to pair with a male actor. It was condemned by, among others, the minister of the Dromore
Reformed Presbyterian Church
. Others, however, cite that milestone as among the reasons why Gately is a "gay rights hero". Wrote Tim Teeman of the Times Online, "Gately showed that an unflamboyant guy could be a pop star and gay...the real shame should be reserved for those managers and showbusiness power-brokers who practise that kind of discrimination, and also maintain the closet, to line their pockets."
At the time of Gately's death the group had selected thirty songs which they intended to record for a new album to be released in 2010. This was to have been followed by a tour.
's new production of Tim Rice
and Andrew Lloyd Webber
's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
, which previewed in Oxford in December 2002 before moving to Liverpool over Christmas 2002 and finally to London's West End
and the New London Theatre in Drury Lane
in February 2003. From September 2004 until March 2005 Gately played the Child Catcher
in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
at the London Palladium
.
In 2001 he made a cameo as himself in the fourth series of BBC
sitcom Absolutely Fabulous
, in that series opening episode 'Parralox'.
Gately made his pantomime
debut at the Churchill Theatre
in Bromley
in December 2005 starring as Dandini in Cinderella. In April 2006 he took on the role of The Scarecrow
in The Wizard of Oz
at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
.
Gately also took part in Channel Five's All Star Talent Show in October 2006, performing the slice and dice magic trick which he only had a week to learn, coming second to Toby Anstis
. He was also in the second series of ITV's Dancing on Ice
with his dancing partner Kristina Lenko. They went out in eighth place on 10 February 2007.
In March 2007, Gately provided his vocal talents to the Big Finish Productions
Doctor Who
audio play, Horror of Glam Rock
.
In September 2007, Gately began touring the UK in an 11-week run of Stephen Schwartz
's rock musical Godspell
, but withdrew from the production after just three weeks for contractual reasons.
In 2008, Gately appeared in the independent horror film, Credo
which was released in the United States as Devil's Curse.
and on one occasion gave a private Christmas performance, raising thousands of pounds. Gately's family requested that donations be given to the charity instead of flowers sent to them after his death in 2009. This in turn raised thousands more pounds. On one visit to a hospital he met a child who fell in love with his jacket—Gately allowed her to have it; she was dead within the hour.
. In an April 2009 interview with the Press Association
he declared that he was nearly finished, had publisher interest, and hoped for a Christmas 2009 release. Boyzone bandmate Ronan Keating promised at Gately's funeral that "by hook or by crook" the book would be finished.
The Tree of Seasons was written in collaboration with June Considine and Jules Williams. Based on Gately's handwritten notes - the day he died he had just worked out the ending. The book released in the UK and Ireland on 13 May 2010, published by Hodder & Stoughton. It contains a foreword by Elton John and David Furnish, and is illustrated by Keith Wilson. The Tree of Seasons remained a best seller and a top ten seller for three consecutive weeks. The paperback version will be released in April 2011
Gately started dating Andrew Cowles, an internet businessman, who had been introduced to him by mutual friends Elton John
and David Furnish
. Gately and Cowles held a commitment ceremony in a wedding chapel whilst on holiday in Las Vegas in 2003. On 19 March 2006, Gately entered into a civil partnership with Cowles in a ceremony in London. The couple lived together in the North London
village of Highgate
Gately spoke of his love for the village, saying he "wouldn't move away for the world. It has a great vibe and the people here are brilliant". In July 2009, their home was broken into by thieves who took £80,000 of items, including a prized Rolex
watch which Gately had purchased with his first pay cheque. Gately was based in London until his death.
His manager Louis Walsh
was unaware of Gately's sexuality
when he selected him for Boyzone and has said that, had he known, he would have thought twice before picking him, claiming less than a year before his death that "it wasn't cool then to have a gay guy in a band". Walsh described Gately as his "very, very best friend" after the singer's death, saying: "Of all the people I've worked with I don't think anybody thanked me as much as Stephen. He used to always say to me, 'If I wasn't in Boyzone I don't know where I'd be today, thank you'".
, Majorca, early on 10 October 2009. His body was discovered later in the morning. His death was later determined to have been caused by a pulmonary oedema
resulting from an undiagnosed heart condition.
Gately had spent the evening with his partner Cowles at the Black Cat club in Majorca's capital Palma. They returned home with a friend that they had made that night, Bulgaria
n Georgi Dochev. Dochev stayed in the spare bedroom. According to Dochev, he discovered Gately's body lying on a sofa as he was about to leave. He woke Cowles, who was sleeping alone in the couple's bedroom. However, Gately's solicitor and family friend, Gerald Kean
, insisted Cowles was the one who found Gately's body. Spanish police were alerted at 1:45 pm by Cowles, after he had tried to revive Gately. Gately was squatting in an awkward way on the sofa, dressed in his pyjamas. Police said they had no reason to believe the death was related to abuse of substances such as drugs or alcohol and no suicide note or signs of violence were located on the corpse. Gerald Kean, acting as spokesman for the Gately family, said that foul play and suicide had been ruled out, describing it as "just a tragic accident". It was Kean, Gately's solicitor throughout his career, who informed the four remaining band members that Gately had died.
Gately's bandmates flew to Majorca on 11 October 2009; Walsh was expected to join them soon after. The surviving members of Boyzone, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham
, Ronan Keating
and Shane Lynch
, issued a joint statement:
. He died as a result of a congenital heart defect. Toxicology also confirmed the statement by Gately's partner Cowles that he had been smoking cannabis
that evening.
On 16 October, accompanied by the four surviving members of Boyzone, his body was brought from Majorca to Dublin where his funeral took place at the Church of St Laurence O'Toole the following day. The four surviving members of Boyzone maintained an overnight vigil in the church the night before. Thousands of fans, celebrities and politicians were in attendance at the funeral. Fans had travelled from as far as Nottingham
, South Africa
and Taiwan
to attend the funeral. He was cremated in a private ceremony later that afternoon. Gately's coffin
was carried into and out of the church by his bandmates, and during the service Ronan Keating gave an emotional eulogy, during which he broke down several times and apologised to the congregation. Keith Duffy
reminisced on the early days: "He told Louis [Walsh] he was 5ft 7in. When he auditioned for The Hobbit
later on, he said he was 5ft 3in. But he was a true giant of a man". Mikey Graham
said Gately had only told him the previous week how much he loved Cowles, adding: "When he came out, he finally became himself". The funeral clashed with the wedding of a niece of Bertie Ahern
and several of her guests defected to the funeral instead.
websites Twitter
and Facebook
. Thousands of pounds have been donated by fans to a Stoke
-based children's charity which Gately had endorsed. The Google
search term
"Stephen Gately" was said to have "risen exponentially" and remained at the top for several days after the singer's death and was later confirmed as being the most searched for topic on Google's UK site in 2009. The search term "Boyzone" also ranked highly, being separated from "Stephen Gately" only by second-placed searches for "Nobel Peace Prize
" following an unexpected victory by U.S. President
Barack Obama
. Boyzone's record catalogue was propelled back into the music charts. The single "No Matter What
", on which Gately is a prominent vocalist, received heavy play on radio.
Boyzone manager Louis Walsh
is quoted as saying: "We're all absolutely devastated. 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
[UK television talent show on which Walsh is a judge] and we will rally around each other this week. He was a great man." Walsh dropped out of the 11 October 2009 live televised results episode of The X Factor as a direct result of Gately's death. Simon Cowell
addressed the issue at the start of the programme. He said: "This is really, really tragic news I want to send out my condolences to the family, our thoughts are with Louis". That edition of the show attracted an "absolutely huge" audience which was said to have been seeking updates on the singer's death. Walsh also missed episodes of The X Factor which coincided with Gately's funeral,—later commenting: "I never want to watch the show at home again. I've been shouting at the TV all night"— at which Walsh was too upset to speak. My First Time, a stage show which was set to star bandmember Keith Duffy, was cancelled entirely. Duffy, Graham, Keating and Lynch had memorial "76 09" tattoos (Gately's birth and death years) engraved on their bodies when they brought Gately's body home.
Irish boyband Westlife
said: "We are, like everyone else, in shock today. We met Stephen Gately back in ‘98 when we first started out and since then have had the pleasure of meeting him many times. He and the Boyzone lads paved the way for us as a band. He was a friendly, positive spirit and a passionate performer. Our thoughts are with Andy and the rest of his family, his friends, his legions of fans and of course his bandmates Keith, Mikey, Shane and Ronan who will be devastated at the loss of a truly beautiful person.".
Former Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern
said: "It's so sad. Boyzone and Stephen, they've all been part of Irish life and far wider than that, the last 15 years, and so successful, so it's a huge, huge tragedy. He was 33 years of age, 15 years at the top, a fine musician, it's just a huge tragedy to Irish entertainment, Irish music and further afield as well". Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism
Martin Cullen
paid tribute: "Stephen Gately was a gifted young man with a talent for singing which brought him tremendous success as a member of Boyzone and also as a West End star. There was a joy about his music making, and his death at such a young age is both a personal and professional loss". Andrew Lloyd Webber
said it is "a great loss to the musical world". Elton John
said he and his partner David Furnish were "stunned" when they heard the news. Katherine Jenkins
twittered of "memories 2 cherish" from a night out in the weeks leading up to his death. Stephen Fry
described Gately's demise as "a dreadful shock". "This was not supposed to happen. This was not in the script", said music historian Paul Gambaccini
.
UK television personality Paul O'Grady
said he was "haunted" by Gately's death and based his decision to move back to ITV
from Channel 4
on a phone call with Louis Walsh during which they discussed Gately's death. Bono
later paid tribute to Gately during U2
's U2 360° Tour
worldwide concerts.
on 16 October 2009 which linked Gately's death to his homosexual lifestyle drew over 25,000 complaints to the Press Complaints Commission
(PCC) that day, causing its site to crash for several hours. Derren Brown
and Stephen Fry
used Twitter
to front an online campaign against the Daily Mail and Jan Moir throughout the afternoon and a Facebook
page was set up urging followers to complain to the brands whose advertisements featured alongside the article. Fry wrote, "I gather a repulsive nobody writing in a paper no one of any decency would be seen dead with has written something loathesome and inhumane". Brown wrote, "If Gateley's passing causes today's kind of gutter-journalism to be held to account, we can perhaps take that as a tribute". Father Ted
writer Graham Linehan
called for a complete boycott of the Daily Mail, tweeting "Which brands advertise in the Mail? Are they aware of Jan Moir's piece?...what are they going to do about it?". Details of companies with advertisements on the same web page as Moir's article were posted on a specially established Facebook page named "The Daily Mail should retract Jan Moir's hateful, homophobic article". According to The Guardian
details about where Moir lived were posted on the Internet and a false rumour that the Daily Mail had reported Cowles as Gately's murderer was repeated on Twitter.
The matter became serious enough for retailer Marks & Spencer
to request the newspaper to remove an advertisement for its services from anywhere near the vicinity of the article, with the company issuing a statement which read: "Marks & Spencer does not tolerate any form of discrimination". Nestlé
also disassociated themselves with the article, saying Moir's words contradicted the company's values of "mutual respect and tolerance, regardless of culture, religion or nationality". The company's Nescafé
brand was featured alongside the article.
The Daily Mail then removed all advertising from the online version of the article. The publication also attempted to alter the original article but this succeeded only in provoking the public further. Moir responded to the controversy by criticising what she claimed was "clearly a heavily orchestrated internet campaign" and said it was "mischievous in the extreme to suggest that my article has homophobic and bigoted undertones".
The Guardian
s Charlie Brooker
, whilst "struggling to absorb the sheer scope of [Moir's] hateful idiocy", accused her of "dancing" on Gately's grave before he had even been buried. Caitlin Moran
of The Times
said the article was "vile". The editor of UK gay magazine Attitude
questioned why Moir linked Gately's death with the recent suicide
of the former partner of comedian Matt Lucas
, asking "If that's not homophobic
, what is homophobia?" The Daily Telegraphs Damian Thompson
said "Moir's reputation is in tatters this evening". The PCC have contacted the Gately family and will investigate if they receive a formal complaint from them, but are not in a position to act directly on complaints from members of the public. A PCC spokesman said "We're trying to work out what the complaints are. Offensiveness is not within the remit of the PCC – we deal with accuracy and intrusion." However, the column featured only in the British version of the newspaper, being removed from the Irish Mail and replaced instead by positive tributes to the singer's life. According to Sky News
, the Gatelys "are aware of the article, they have not read it, they will not read it, but they know what is contained in it and they know the sentiment" and "are just very, very disappointed".
In Ireland itself, former Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern
said, "Some of the [British] papers were waiting to write some sensational piece about him [...] I can never understand why people just don't leave things simple" and one radio station owner, who called on people to write to the Mail to express their disagreement, commented, "We are all very very insulted by that coverage. [...] I certainly hope the Irish people force that newspaper's editor to apologise for the great hurt caused by that article". Scotland Yard
received a complaint. Gately's record company also issued a complaint to the PCC. The PCC did not uphold the complaint stating: "It found the article caused some offence but there was insufficient evidence it breached the law.
Tony Connell, CPS London complex casework lawyer, said: "In coming to this conclusion I have paid particular attention to Article 10 of the Human Rights Act which protects individuals' freedom of expression.
"It is an established legal principle that this freedom applies equally to information and ideas that are favourably received as to those which offend, shock and disturb.
"Though the complainants and many others found this article offensive, this does not make its publication unlawful.""
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
pop singer–songwriter
Singer–songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, dancer, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, who, with Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
, was one of two lead singers of the pop group Boyzone
Boyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
. All of Boyzone's studio albums hit number one in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, their third being their most successful internationally. With Boyzone, Gately had a record-breaking sixteen consecutive singles enter the top five of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. He performed for millions of fans globally. He released a solo album in 2000, after the group's initial breakup, which charted in the UK top ten and yielded three UK hit singles, including the top three hit "New Beginning". Gately went on to appear variously in stage productions and on television programmes as well as contributing songs to various projects. In 2008, he rejoined his colleagues as Boyzone reformed for a series of concerts and recordings.
Gately wed Andrew Cowles, first in a commitment ceremony
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
in 2003 and more formally in a civil partnership ceremony in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 2006. Gately made his sexuality known in 1999 and came out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
in a blaze of publicity. Upon Boyzone's reformation, Gately featured as part of the first gay couple in his band's music video in what was to be his last with the band, for the song "Better
Better (Tom Baxter song)
"Better" is a song from the album Skybound released by Tom Baxter in January 2008. It was subsequently used on the soundtrack for the motion picture Run Fatboy Run. The song is also the second single released by Irish Boyband Boyzone from their greatest hits compilation, Back Again... No Matter...
". Gately died in an apartment that he and Cowles owned in Majorca, Spain on 10 October 2009. Brian Boyd in The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
stated: "Stephen Gately’s death represents the first time that the boyband genre has had to deal with such a tragic situation". Tim Teeman of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(UK) heralded Gately as a hero of gay rights for his response to being "smoked out of the closet".
Early life and family
Gately grew up in relative poverty in the working-class Sheriff Street area of Dublin. He was the fourth of five children; his father Martin is a former decorator and his mother, Margaret (born 1949) a cleaner. His siblings are Michelle, Tony, Alan and Mark. Gately was raised Catholic. He was particularly close to sister Michelle throughout his life. Gately's father had an accident as a result of which he had to be hospitalised for three months from September 2004, and has not returned to work. His mother then took over as full-time carer. Gately attended primary school at St Laurence O'Toole's and secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
at North Strand Technical College. As a teenager he appeared in various musicals and theatre performances at school, such as Juno and the Paycock
Juno and the Paycock
Juno and the Paycock is a play by Sean O'Casey, and one of the most highly regarded and oft-performed plays in Ireland. It was first staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1924...
. He was estranged from his parents for years, but reconciled with them in 2008, and visited them with Andrew Cowles that year.
Boyzone
Gately joined Boyzone upon their formation in 1993. The group became known in Ireland after an infamous appearance on The Late Late ShowThe Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
that year, which presenter Gay Byrne
Gay Byrne
Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne is a veteran Irish presenter of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of The Late Late Show over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999...
dismissed—although he later concluded: "They certainly had the last laugh on us". Boyzone's first success outside Ireland was when the song "Love Me for a Reason
Love Me for a Reason
"Love Me for a Reason" is a song by The Osmonds, and released in 1974. Twenty years later, Boyzone covered the song. Both versions were successful, reaching the top ten of the charts in many countries.-Original song:...
" reached number two in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1995. The group split suddenly following a string of performances in Dublin's Point Theatre
Point Theatre
The Point Theatre was a concert and events venue in Ireland, that ran from 1988–2007, enjoyed by in excess of 2 million people. It was located on the North Wall Quay of the River Liffey, amongst the Dublin Docklands...
in 2000. By the time Boyzone originally rested the band, they had achieved six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. They were considered a major pop band of the 1990s and had a much publicised rivalry with UK boy band Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
, even selling more singles than them. Gately shared the majority of lead vocal work with Ronan Keating.
A February appearance at the 2008 Meteor Awards
2008 Meteor Awards
The 2008 Meteor Music Awards ceremony was held in the RDS, Dublin on Friday, 15 February 2008. Nineteen awards were presented. It was the eighth edition of Ireland's national music awards. The event was later broadcast on RTÉ Two on Saturday, 16 February at 21:00...
relaunched the reformed Boyzone, with touring taking place throughout 2008. After his death, manager Louis Walsh described Gately as "the glue in Boyzone, he kept them all together". Keating informed the congregation at Gately's funeral that he had nicknames for them all; "the campest straight band in the world"—Rosaleen, Michaela, Kitty, Shanice and Stephanie.
Solo career
After success with Boyzone, the band decided in 2000 to move on to solo projects. Gately was the first, with his debut solo single, "New Beginning", released on 29 May 2000. The single reached number three in the UK charts.Two weeks later the album New Beginning was released and entered the charts. The album included twelve tracks including a version of the classic "Bright Eyes
Bright Eyes (Art Garfunkel song)
"Bright Eyes" is a song written by Mike Batt, and performed by Art Garfunkel. It was used in the soundtrack of the 1978 film Watership Down and as such is considered the theme song of the film and the later television series adaptations. The track also appears on Garfunkel's fourth studio album,...
", which he recorded for the soundtrack to a new TV version of Watership Down
Watership Down
Watership Down is a classic heroic fantasy novel, written by English author Richard Adams, about a small group of rabbits. Although the animals in the story live in their natural environment, they are anthropomorphised, possessing their own culture, language , proverbs, poetry, and mythology...
. He also voiced one of the characters in the film, Blackavar, which was created to look like him.
The second single taken from the album was "I Believe". Released on 2 October 2000, this song also featured on the soundtrack to the film Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot is a 2000 British drama film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. Set in the fictional town of "Everington" in the real County Durham, UK, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer, Gary Lewis as his coal miner father, Jamie Draven as Billy's older...
. The single just missed the UK top ten, peaking at number eleven. He attended the premieres of the film both at the Edinburgh Film Festival and at the Empire Theatre in Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...
, along with the stars of the film, Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
and Jamie Bell
Jamie Bell
Andrew James Matfin "Jamie" Bell is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Billy Elliot , King Kong , Hallam Foe , Jumper , Defiance , The Eagle and The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn .- Early life :Bell was born in Billingham, in the Borough of...
. In May 2001, Stephen's third single, "Stay", was released and reached number thirteen in the UK chart. That month, with his single still in the charts, his record company Polydor dropped him from their label.
In January 2007, Gately was heard in Horror of Glam Rock
Horror of Glam Rock
Horror of Glam Rock is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions and was broadcast on BBC 7 on 14 January 2007.-Plot:...
, a Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
audio drama produced by Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
for BBC7. For this audio play, Gately recorded an original song, "Children of Tomorrow", with music by Tim Sutton and lyrics by Barnaby Edwards
Barnaby Edwards
Barnaby Edwards is a British actor, writer, director and artist. He is best known for his work on the popular British science-fiction series Doctor Who. His various roles include being a Dalek operator for the revived series in many Dalek stories...
; this was his first solo track since 2001.
Boyzone's reformation
In 2008 following his solo career and various bouts of acting and television appearances, Gately rejoined his old colleagues when Boyzone reformed, following the success of revived contemporaries Take ThatTake That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
. Gately had been the most eager to reform and urged his bandmates to come together again. They sold out two more tours of the United Kingdom.
Boyzone released a brand new single, "Love You Anyway
Love You Anyway
"Love You Anyway" is a 2008 single by Irish boyband Boyzone, their first single release for 8 years and their first since their reunion. It is taken from their 2008 greatest hits album Back Again... No Matter What...
", followed by a new compilation album
Back Again... No Matter What
Back Again... No Matter What is a compilation album by Irish Boyband Boyzone, released on October 13, 2008. Three new recordings were made for the album: "Love You Anyway", "Better" and "Can't Stop Thinking About You". The new songs were the first new material recorded by the band in nine years,...
in October 2008. December 2008 saw the release of a second new single, "Better". The video for the song generated controversy, as scenes depicting romantic couples included a shot of two men embracing, in an inclusive nod to Gately's homosexuality. The group unanimously agreed that Gately should be allowed to pair with a male actor. It was condemned by, among others, the minister of the Dromore
Dromore, County Down
Dromore is a small market town in the Banbridge District of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is south-west of Belfast, on the A1 Belfast – Dublin road. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 4,968 people....
Reformed Presbyterian Church
Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland
The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland is a Presbyterian denomination in Ireland.-History:The denomination's roots date back to the 17th-century Plantation of Ulster by Scots Presbyterian settlers...
. Others, however, cite that milestone as among the reasons why Gately is a "gay rights hero". Wrote Tim Teeman of the Times Online, "Gately showed that an unflamboyant guy could be a pop star and gay...the real shame should be reserved for those managers and showbusiness power-brokers who practise that kind of discrimination, and also maintain the closet, to line their pockets."
At the time of Gately's death the group had selected thirty songs which they intended to record for a new album to be released in 2010. This was to have been followed by a tour.
Acting and television
In December 2002, Gately took the lead role in Bill KenwrightBill Kenwright
Bill Kenwright CBE is a leading West End theatre producer and film producer.He is also the Chairman of Everton Football Club, an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool....
's new production of Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
, which previewed in Oxford in December 2002 before moving to Liverpool over Christmas 2002 and finally to London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
and the New London Theatre in Drury Lane
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
in February 2003. From September 2004 until March 2005 Gately played the Child Catcher
Child Catcher
The Child Catcher is the supporting antagonist of the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in the later stage musical adaptation. The character was created by the film's screenwriter, Roald Dahl, and did not appear in the original Ian Fleming book...
in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (musical)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, also known as Chitty the Musical, is a stage musical based on the 1968 film produced by Cubby Broccoli. The music and lyrics were written by Richard and Robert Sherman with book by Jeremy Sams.-Productions:...
at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
.
In 2001 he made a cameo as himself in the fourth series of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sitcom Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
, in that series opening episode 'Parralox'.
Gately made his pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
debut at the Churchill Theatre
Churchill Theatre
The Churchill Theatre in Bromley, south east London was built by the London Borough of Bromley to designs by its borough architect's department.It is carefully integrated into the central library complex overlooking Church House Gardens and Library Gardens...
in Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
in December 2005 starring as Dandini in Cinderella. In April 2006 he took on the role of The Scarecrow
Scarecrow (Oz)
The Scarecrow is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum and illustrator William Wallace Denslow. In his first appearance, the Scarecrow reveals that he lacks a brain and desires above all else to have one. In reality, he is only two days old and merely...
in The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1902 stage play)
The Wizard of Oz was a 1902 musical extravaganza based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, which was originally published in 1900...
at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
.
Gately also took part in Channel Five's All Star Talent Show in October 2006, performing the slice and dice magic trick which he only had a week to learn, coming second to Toby Anstis
Toby Anstis
Toby Anstis is a radio presenter on Global Radio's Heart Network of stations. He presents his morning show weekdays from 10.00am - 1.00pm across the Heart branded network....
. He was also in the second series of ITV's Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
with his dancing partner Kristina Lenko. They went out in eighth place on 10 February 2007.
In March 2007, Gately provided his vocal talents to the Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
audio play, Horror of Glam Rock
Horror of Glam Rock
Horror of Glam Rock is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions and was broadcast on BBC 7 on 14 January 2007.-Plot:...
.
In September 2007, Gately began touring the UK in an 11-week run of Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz (composer)
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
's rock musical Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
, but withdrew from the production after just three weeks for contractual reasons.
In 2008, Gately appeared in the independent horror film, Credo
Credo (film)
Credo, also known as The Devil's Curse, is a 2008 low-budget psychological horror film directed and produced by Toni Harman and written by Alex Wakeford. It stars MyAnna Buring, Clayton Watson, and Nathalie Pownall, Rhea Bailey, and Mark Joseph as five British college students that find themselves...
which was released in the United States as Devil's Curse.
Philanthropy
Gately was a vice patron of the charity Missing People (formerly National Missing Persons Helpline), supporting their Runaway Helpline service for young people. He was an ambassador for the Caudwell Children Charity in StokeStoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and on one occasion gave a private Christmas performance, raising thousands of pounds. Gately's family requested that donations be given to the charity instead of flowers sent to them after his death in 2009. This in turn raised thousands more pounds. On one visit to a hospital he met a child who fell in love with his jacket—Gately allowed her to have it; she was dead within the hour.
Writing
During the three years prior to his death, Gately had been writing a children's fantasy novel called The Tree of SeasonsThe Tree of Seasons
The Tree of Seasons is a children's book written by Boyzone member Stephen Gately and published posthumously by Hodder & Stoughton in 2010. It follows the adventures of three siblings - Josh, Michael and Beth Lotts - who are on their summer holidays, and is said to be similar in style to the works...
. In an April 2009 interview with the Press Association
Press Association
The Press Association is the national news agency of the United Kingdom and Ireland, supplying multimedia news content to almost all national and regional newspapers, television and radio news, as well as many websites with text, pictures, video and data content globally...
he declared that he was nearly finished, had publisher interest, and hoped for a Christmas 2009 release. Boyzone bandmate Ronan Keating promised at Gately's funeral that "by hook or by crook" the book would be finished.
The Tree of Seasons was written in collaboration with June Considine and Jules Williams. Based on Gately's handwritten notes - the day he died he had just worked out the ending. The book released in the UK and Ireland on 13 May 2010, published by Hodder & Stoughton. It contains a foreword by Elton John and David Furnish, and is illustrated by Keith Wilson. The Tree of Seasons remained a best seller and a top ten seller for three consecutive weeks. The paperback version will be released in April 2011
Personal life
From 2000 to 2002, Gately suffered from depression and addiction to prescription drugs.Gately started dating Andrew Cowles, an internet businessman, who had been introduced to him by mutual friends Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and David Furnish
David Furnish
David James Furnish is a Canadian/British filmmaker, former advertising executive, and now a film director and producer most known for his documentary Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras...
. Gately and Cowles held a commitment ceremony in a wedding chapel whilst on holiday in Las Vegas in 2003. On 19 March 2006, Gately entered into a civil partnership with Cowles in a ceremony in London. The couple lived together in the North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
village of Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
Gately spoke of his love for the village, saying he "wouldn't move away for the world. It has a great vibe and the people here are brilliant". In July 2009, their home was broken into by thieves who took £80,000 of items, including a prized Rolex
Rolex
Rolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
watch which Gately had purchased with his first pay cheque. Gately was based in London until his death.
His manager Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
was unaware of Gately's sexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
when he selected him for Boyzone and has said that, had he known, he would have thought twice before picking him, claiming less than a year before his death that "it wasn't cool then to have a gay guy in a band". Walsh described Gately as his "very, very best friend" after the singer's death, saying: "Of all the people I've worked with I don't think anybody thanked me as much as Stephen. He used to always say to me, 'If I wasn't in Boyzone I don't know where I'd be today, thank you'".
Death
Gately died suddenly at his apartment in Port d'AndratxAndratx
Andratx is a municipality on Majorca, one of the Balearic Islands, along the Mediterranean east coast of Spain. It is located on the southwest tip of the island.-History:...
, Majorca, early on 10 October 2009. His body was discovered later in the morning. His death was later determined to have been caused by a pulmonary oedema
Pulmonary edema
Pulmonary edema , or oedema , is fluid accumulation in the air spaces and parenchyma of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause respiratory failure...
resulting from an undiagnosed heart condition.
Gately had spent the evening with his partner Cowles at the Black Cat club in Majorca's capital Palma. They returned home with a friend that they had made that night, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n Georgi Dochev. Dochev stayed in the spare bedroom. According to Dochev, he discovered Gately's body lying on a sofa as he was about to leave. He woke Cowles, who was sleeping alone in the couple's bedroom. However, Gately's solicitor and family friend, Gerald Kean
Gerald Kean
Gerald Kean is an Irish celebrity solicitor from County Cork. He is regularly the subject of social columns, particularly in the Sunday newspapers which have reported his lavish spending sprees and sun holidays involving his wife and other people, with The Irish Times once describing him as having...
, insisted Cowles was the one who found Gately's body. Spanish police were alerted at 1:45 pm by Cowles, after he had tried to revive Gately. Gately was squatting in an awkward way on the sofa, dressed in his pyjamas. Police said they had no reason to believe the death was related to abuse of substances such as drugs or alcohol and no suicide note or signs of violence were located on the corpse. Gerald Kean, acting as spokesman for the Gately family, said that foul play and suicide had been ruled out, describing it as "just a tragic accident". It was Kean, Gately's solicitor throughout his career, who informed the four remaining band members that Gately had died.
Gately's bandmates flew to Majorca on 11 October 2009; Walsh was expected to join them soon after. The surviving members of Boyzone, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham
Mikey Graham
Michael Graham - also known as Mikey Graham - is an Irish singer-songwriter, actor and music producer, best known as a member of pop group Boyzone, and in 2010 he was a contestant on Dancing on Ice.-Early life:The youngest of seven children, Graham was born to housewife Sheila and carpenter...
, Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
and Shane Lynch
Shane Lynch
Shane Lynch is an Irish singer-songwriter, actor and professional drift driver, best known for his distinctive body art, outlandish sense of style, and as a member of Boyzone...
, issued a joint statement:
We are completely devastated by the loss of our friend and brother, Stephen. We have shared such wonderful times together over the years and were all looking forward to sharing many more. Stephen was a beautiful person in both body and spirit. He lit up our lives and those of the many friends he had all over the world. Our love and sympathy go out to Andrew and Stephen's family. We love you and will miss you forever, 'Steo'.A post-mortem and toxicology tests took place on 13 October and this examination showed that Gately died of natural causes
Death by natural causes
A death by natural causes, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, is one that is primarily attributed to natural agents: usually an illness or an internal malfunction of the body. For example, a person dying from complications from influenza or a heart attack ...
. He died as a result of a congenital heart defect. Toxicology also confirmed the statement by Gately's partner Cowles that he had been smoking cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
that evening.
On 16 October, accompanied by the four surviving members of Boyzone, his body was brought from Majorca to Dublin where his funeral took place at the Church of St Laurence O'Toole the following day. The four surviving members of Boyzone maintained an overnight vigil in the church the night before. Thousands of fans, celebrities and politicians were in attendance at the funeral. Fans had travelled from as far as Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
to attend the funeral. He was cremated in a private ceremony later that afternoon. Gately's coffin
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
was carried into and out of the church by his bandmates, and during the service Ronan Keating gave an emotional eulogy, during which he broke down several times and apologised to the congregation. Keith Duffy
Keith Duffy
Keith Peter Thomas Francis John Duffy is an Irish singer-songwriter, actor, drummer, dancer and television presenter. He began his career as part of Boyzone in the 1990s. In the 2000s, he achieved critical acclaim for his acting roles, particularly in soap operas such as Coronation Street and Fair...
reminisced on the early days: "He told Louis [Walsh] he was 5ft 7in. When he auditioned for The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
later on, he said he was 5ft 3in. But he was a true giant of a man". Mikey Graham
Mikey Graham
Michael Graham - also known as Mikey Graham - is an Irish singer-songwriter, actor and music producer, best known as a member of pop group Boyzone, and in 2010 he was a contestant on Dancing on Ice.-Early life:The youngest of seven children, Graham was born to housewife Sheila and carpenter...
said Gately had only told him the previous week how much he loved Cowles, adding: "When he came out, he finally became himself". The funeral clashed with the wedding of a niece of Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
and several of her guests defected to the funeral instead.
Reaction
Fans responded with messages of sympathy on the social networkingSocial network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
websites Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. Thousands of pounds have been donated by fans to a Stoke
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
-based children's charity which Gately had endorsed. The Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
search term
Web search engine
A web search engine is designed to search for information on the World Wide Web and FTP servers. The search results are generally presented in a list of results often referred to as SERPS, or "search engine results pages". The information may consist of web pages, images, information and other...
"Stephen Gately" was said to have "risen exponentially" and remained at the top for several days after the singer's death and was later confirmed as being the most searched for topic on Google's UK site in 2009. The search term "Boyzone" also ranked highly, being separated from "Stephen Gately" only by second-placed searches for "Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
" following an unexpected victory by U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Boyzone's record catalogue was propelled back into the music charts. The single "No Matter What
No Matter What (Boyzone song)
"No Matter What" is a song from the 1996 musical Whistle Down the Wind, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman and popularized by the group Boyzone. The song reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart, and was the only Boyzone hit to become popular in the U.S. Jewels & Stone did a remix for the...
", on which Gately is a prominent vocalist, received heavy play on radio.
Boyzone manager Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
is quoted as saying: "We're all absolutely devastated. 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
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
[UK television talent show on which Walsh is a judge] and we will rally around each other this week. He was a great man." Walsh dropped out of the 11 October 2009 live televised results episode of The X Factor as a direct result of Gately's death. Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
addressed the issue at the start of the programme. He said: "This is really, really tragic news I want to send out my condolences to the family, our thoughts are with Louis". That edition of the show attracted an "absolutely huge" audience which was said to have been seeking updates on the singer's death. Walsh also missed episodes of The X Factor which coincided with Gately's funeral,—later commenting: "I never want to watch the show at home again. I've been shouting at the TV all night"— at which Walsh was too upset to speak. My First Time, a stage show which was set to star bandmember Keith Duffy, was cancelled entirely. Duffy, Graham, Keating and Lynch had memorial "76 09" tattoos (Gately's birth and death years) engraved on their bodies when they brought Gately's body home.
Irish boyband Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
said: "We are, like everyone else, in shock today. We met Stephen Gately back in ‘98 when we first started out and since then have had the pleasure of meeting him many times. He and the Boyzone lads paved the way for us as a band. He was a friendly, positive spirit and a passionate performer. Our thoughts are with Andy and the rest of his family, his friends, his legions of fans and of course his bandmates Keith, Mikey, Shane and Ronan who will be devastated at the loss of a truly beautiful person.".
Former Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
said: "It's so sad. Boyzone and Stephen, they've all been part of Irish life and far wider than that, the last 15 years, and so successful, so it's a huge, huge tragedy. He was 33 years of age, 15 years at the top, a fine musician, it's just a huge tragedy to Irish entertainment, Irish music and further afield as well". Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism
Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism (Ireland)
The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is the senior minister at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in the Government of Ireland.The current minister is Jimmy Deenihan, TD. He is assisted by:...
Martin Cullen
Martin Cullen
Martin Cullen is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Waterford constituency. Cullen was a member of Seanad Éireann and served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government , Minister for Transport and Minister for Social and Family Affairs and...
paid tribute: "Stephen Gately was a gifted young man with a talent for singing which brought him tremendous success as a member of Boyzone and also as a West End star. There was a joy about his music making, and his death at such a young age is both a personal and professional loss". Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
said it is "a great loss to the musical world". Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
said he and his partner David Furnish were "stunned" when they heard the news. Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins is a Welsh mezzo-soprano. She is a classical-popular crossover singer who performs across a spectrum of operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre and hymns.-Early life and education:...
twittered of "memories 2 cherish" from a night out in the weeks leading up to his death. Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
described Gately's demise as "a dreadful shock". "This was not supposed to happen. This was not in the script", said music historian Paul Gambaccini
Paul Gambaccini
Paul Matthew Gambaccini is a radio and television presenter in the United Kingdom...
.
UK television personality Paul O'Grady
Paul O'Grady
Paul James Michael O'Grady MBE is an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio DJ. He is best known for presenting the daytime chat television series, The Paul O'Grady Show and, more recently, Paul O'Grady Live, as well as his drag queen comedic alter ego, Lily Savage, as...
said he was "haunted" by Gately's death and based his decision to move back to ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
from Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
on a phone call with Louis Walsh during which they discussed Gately's death. Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
later paid tribute to Gately during U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's U2 360° Tour
U2 360° Tour
The U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. It was named for a stage configuration that allowed the audience to almost completely surround the stage...
worldwide concerts.
Jan Moir controversy
An article by Jan Moir in the Daily MailDaily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
on 16 October 2009 which linked Gately's death to his homosexual lifestyle drew over 25,000 complaints to the Press Complaints Commission
Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines...
(PCC) that day, causing its site to crash for several hours. Derren Brown
Derren Brown
Derren Victor Brown is a British illusionist, mentalist, painter, writer and sceptic. He is known for his appearances in television specials, stage productions and British television series such as Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat...
and Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
used Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
to front an online campaign against the Daily Mail and Jan Moir throughout the afternoon and a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page was set up urging followers to complain to the brands whose advertisements featured alongside the article. Fry wrote, "I gather a repulsive nobody writing in a paper no one of any decency would be seen dead with has written something loathesome and inhumane". Brown wrote, "If Gateley's passing causes today's kind of gutter-journalism to be held to account, we can perhaps take that as a tribute". Father Ted
Father Ted
Father Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
writer Graham Linehan
Graham Linehan
Graham Linehan is an Irish television writer, actor, comedian and director who, often in partnership with Arthur Mathews, has written or co-written a number of popular television comedies...
called for a complete boycott of the Daily Mail, tweeting "Which brands advertise in the Mail? Are they aware of Jan Moir's piece?...what are they going to do about it?". Details of companies with advertisements on the same web page as Moir's article were posted on a specially established Facebook page named "The Daily Mail should retract Jan Moir's hateful, homophobic article". According to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
details about where Moir lived were posted on the Internet and a false rumour that the Daily Mail had reported Cowles as Gately's murderer was repeated on Twitter.
The matter became serious enough for retailer Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
to request the newspaper to remove an advertisement for its services from anywhere near the vicinity of the article, with the company issuing a statement which read: "Marks & Spencer does not tolerate any form of discrimination". Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
also disassociated themselves with the article, saying Moir's words contradicted the company's values of "mutual respect and tolerance, regardless of culture, religion or nationality". The company's Nescafé
Nescafé
Nescafé is a brand of instant coffee made by Nestlé. It comes in the form of many different products. The name is a portmanteau of the words "Nestlé" and "café". Nestlé's flagship powdered coffee product was introduced in Switzerland on April 1, 1938 after being developed for seven or eight years...
brand was featured alongside the article.
The Daily Mail then removed all advertising from the online version of the article. The publication also attempted to alter the original article but this succeeded only in provoking the public further. Moir responded to the controversy by criticising what she claimed was "clearly a heavily orchestrated internet campaign" and said it was "mischievous in the extreme to suggest that my article has homophobic and bigoted undertones".
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s Charlie Brooker
Charlie Brooker
Charlton "Charlie" Brooker is a British journalist, comic writer and broadcaster. His style of humour is savage and profane, with surreal elements and a consistent satirical pessimism...
, whilst "struggling to absorb the sheer scope of [Moir's] hateful idiocy", accused her of "dancing" on Gately's grave before he had even been buried. Caitlin Moran
Caitlin Moran
Caitlin Moran is a British broadcaster, TV critic and columnist at The Times, where she writes three columns a week: one for the Saturday Magazine, a TV review column, and the satirical Friday column "Celebrity Watch"...
of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said the article was "vile". The editor of UK gay magazine Attitude
Attitude (magazine)
Attitude is a British gay lifestyle magazine owned by Vitality Publishing. It is sold worldwide as a physical magazine and a digital download for the iPad and iPhone via the App Store. The first issue appeared in May 1994....
questioned why Moir linked Gately's death with the recent suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of the former partner of comedian Matt Lucas
Matt Lucas
Matthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
, asking "If that's not homophobic
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
, what is homophobia?" The Daily Telegraphs Damian Thompson
Damian Thompson
Damian Thompson is a British journalist, author and blogger.Thompson was educated at Presentation College, Reading, and read history at Mansfield College, Oxford University. He received his Ph.D in the sociology of religion from the London School of Economics for a thesis on the management of...
said "Moir's reputation is in tatters this evening". The PCC have contacted the Gately family and will investigate if they receive a formal complaint from them, but are not in a position to act directly on complaints from members of the public. A PCC spokesman said "We're trying to work out what the complaints are. Offensiveness is not within the remit of the PCC – we deal with accuracy and intrusion." However, the column featured only in the British version of the newspaper, being removed from the Irish Mail and replaced instead by positive tributes to the singer's life. According to Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
, the Gatelys "are aware of the article, they have not read it, they will not read it, but they know what is contained in it and they know the sentiment" and "are just very, very disappointed".
In Ireland itself, former Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
said, "Some of the [British] papers were waiting to write some sensational piece about him [...] I can never understand why people just don't leave things simple" and one radio station owner, who called on people to write to the Mail to express their disagreement, commented, "We are all very very insulted by that coverage. [...] I certainly hope the Irish people force that newspaper's editor to apologise for the great hurt caused by that article". Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
received a complaint. Gately's record company also issued a complaint to the PCC. The PCC did not uphold the complaint stating: "It found the article caused some offence but there was insufficient evidence it breached the law.
Tony Connell, CPS London complex casework lawyer, said: "In coming to this conclusion I have paid particular attention to Article 10 of the Human Rights Act which protects individuals' freedom of expression.
"It is an established legal principle that this freedom applies equally to information and ideas that are favourably received as to those which offend, shock and disturb.
"Though the complainants and many others found this article offensive, this does not make its publication unlawful.""
Albums
- New BeginningNew Beginning (Stephen Gately album)New Beginning is the debut solo album from Irish singer-songwriter and Boyzone, Stephen Gately. It was released by Universal on 2000. It peaked at number nine on the UK Albums Chart.-Track listing:-Charts:...
(2000, Universal Music) [UK#9]
Singles
| Year | Title | UK chart position(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "New Beginning"/"Bright Eyes New Beginning (Stephen Gately song) "New Beginning/Bright Eyes" is the debut solo single by Irish singer-songwriter Stephen Gately. It also appeared on Gately's debut solo album, New Beginning. The song was released on June 10, 2000 in the United Kingdom... " |
3 |
| 2000 | "I Believe I Believe (Stephen Gately song) "I Believe" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Stephen Gately from his debut solo album, New Beginning. It was released on October 14, 2000 in the United Kingdom. The song debuted at number 11 in the UK... " |
11 |
| 2001 | "Stay Stay (Stephen Gately song) "Stay" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter and Boyzone Stephen Gately from his debut solo album, New Beginning. It was released as the third single from the album on May 12, 2001... " |
13 |
| 2007 | "Children of Tomorrow" | — |
Other songs
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Chiquitita Chiquitita "Chiquitita" was the first single release from Swedish pop group ABBA's Voulez-Vous album, their sixth for Polar, and their fifth for Epic and Atlantic... " |
From the ABBAmania ABBAmania ABBAmania is a tribute album to Swedish pop band ABBA, released in 1999. It followed an ITV programme of the same name and featured various British and Irish artists covering ABBA songs.-Track listing:# "Money, Money, Money" – Madness... Compilation Album |
External links
- Official Stephen Gately website
- Gately on Boyzone website
- Obituary in The Daily Telegraph
- Obituary gallery at RTÉRaidió Teilifís ÉireannRaidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
- Photos of Gately funeral in The Belfast Telegraph