48 Facts About Stephen Gately

Stephen Patrick David Gately was an Irish singer, who, with Ronan Keating, was co-lead singer of the pop group Boyzone.

Stephen Gately released a solo album in 2000, after the group's initial break-up, which charted in the UK top ten and yielded three UK hit singles, including the top three hit "New Beginning".

Stephen Gately went on to appear in stage productions and on television programmes as well as contributing songs to various projects.

Stephen Gately became publicly committed to Andrew Cowles, first in a commitment ceremony in Las Vegas in 2003 and more formally in a civil partnership ceremony in London in 2006.

Stephen Gately died of a congenital heart defect in a flat that he and Cowles owned in Mallorca, Spain, in 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".

Stephen Gately grew up in relative poverty in the working-class Sheriff Street area of Dublin.

Stephen Gately was the fourth of five children; his father Martin was a decorator and his mother, Margaret was born on 1949 and a cleaner.

Stephen Gately was particularly close to sister Michelle throughout his life.

Stephen Gately's father had an accident as a result of which he had to be hospitalised for three months from September 2004.

Stephen Gately attended primary school at St Laurence O'Toole's and secondary school at North Strand Technical College.

Stephen Gately was estranged from his parents for years, but reconciled with them in 2008 and visited them with Andrew Cowles that year.

Stephen Gately shared the majority of lead vocal work with Ronan Keating.

Stephen Gately was the second, with his debut solo single, "New Beginning", released on 29 May 2000.

Stephen Gately voiced one of the characters in the series, Blackavar, which was created to look like him.

Stephen Gately attended the premieres of the film both at the Edinburgh Film Festival and at the Empire, Leicester Square, along with the stars of the film, Julie Walters and Jamie Bell.

In 2008 following his solo career and various bouts of acting and television appearances, Stephen Gately rejoined his old colleagues when Boyzone reformed, following the success of revived contemporaries Take That.

Stephen Gately had been the most eager to reform and urged his bandmates to come together again.

The group unanimously agreed that Stephen Gately should be allowed to pair with a male actor.

Stephen Gately's vocals featured on Boyzone's final album, in a song called "I Can Dream".

In 1999 Stephen Gately took part in animated television series Watership Down, where he voiced Blackavar and performed show's theme song, a cover of Art Garfunkel's "Bright Eyes".

In December 2002, Stephen Gately took the lead role in Bill Kenwright'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 Stephen Gately played the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium.

Stephen Gately made his pantomime debut at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley in December 2005 starring as Dandini in Cinderella.

Stephen Gately 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.

Stephen Gately was in the second series of ITV's Dancing on Ice with his dancing partner Kristina Lenko.

In January 2007, Stephen Gately was heard in "Horror of Glam Rock", a Doctor Who audio drama produced by Big Finish Productions for BBC7.

In 2008, Stephen Gately appeared in the independent horror film, Credo, which was released in the United States as Devil's Curse.

Stephen Gately was a vice patron of the charity Missing People, supporting their Runaway Helpline service for young people.

Stephen Gately was an ambassador for the Caudwell Children Charity in Stoke and on one occasion gave a private Christmas performance, raising thousands of pounds.

Stephen Gately's family requested that donations be given to the charity instead of flowers sent to them after his death in 2009.

On one visit to a hospital he met a terminally ill child who admired the jacket he was wearing, and Stephen Gately allowed her to have it.

From 2000 to 2002, Stephen Gately suffered from depression and addiction to prescription drugs.

Stephen Gately started dating Andrew Cowles, an internet businessman who had been introduced to him by mutual friends Elton John and David Furnish.

On 19 March 2006, Stephen Gately entered into a civil partnership with Cowles in a ceremony in London.

Stephen Gately was based in London for the rest of his life.

Stephen Gately's idol was Michael Jackson, whom he met at RDS Arena in 1997 when Jackson was embarking on his HIStory World Tour.

Stephen Gately died at his home in Port d'Andratx, Mallorca, early on 10 October 2009.

Stephen Gately's death was later determined to have been caused by a pulmonary oedema resulting from an undiagnosed heart condition.

Stephen Gately had spent the evening with his partner Cowles at the Black Cat club in Mallorca's capital, Palma.

Stephen Gately woke Cowles, who was sleeping alone in the couple's bedroom.

Stephen Gately was squatting in an awkward position on the sofa, dressed in his pyjamas.

Stephen Gately was a beautiful person in both body and spirit.

Stephen Gately's death was a result of a congenital heart defect.

Stephen Gately was cremated in a private ceremony later that afternoon.

Stephen Gately's coffin was carried into and out of the church by his bandmates, and during the service Ronan Keating gave a eulogy, during which he broke down several times and apologised to the congregation.

Michael Graham said Stephen Gately had only told him the previous week how much he loved Cowles, adding: "When he came out, he finally became himself".

The single "No Matter What", on which Stephen Gately is a prominent vocalist, received heavy play on radio.