| Boyzone Star Stephen Gately dies in Mallorca, cause of death unknown |
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12/10/2009 14:29 (39 Day 16:13 minutes ago) | |||||
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The FINANCIAL -- Stephen Gately, a singer with the Irish boy band Boyzone died on October 11 while on vacation in Majorca, Spain, the group confirmed on their official website on October 12. The 33-year-old Boyzone star was found dead at his home in the resort of Port Andratx, Majorca.
The cause of death was not immediately clear. "At present we don't have too many details. The rest of the boys will be traveling to Majorca later this morning," band’s statement said on their website, AP informs. Spanish police said they were called to a house near Port d'Andratx on the western tip of the island on Saturday afternoon. The cause of death was unknown and there were no signs of violence, a police spokesman said, on condition of anonymity in keeping with police rules. He said there was likely to be an autopsy.
The house, situated on an exclusive tree-lined seafront street, overlooks a rocky bay reputed to have some of the best sunset views on Spain's favorite holiday island, according to the same source. Gately and his partner Andrew Cowles were in Mallorca together, the band's statement said. They were wed in a civil union in 2006.
Police said the singer had been partying with friends a few hours before he was found dead in his apartment, Telegraph reported. They are hoping the results of a post-mortem, expected either today or tomorrow, will shed light on exactly how he died.
Despite the cause of death not being confirmed, a spokesperson for Gately’s family has ruled out any foul play claiming the Boyzone singer's death was due to natural causes, according to MTV. The family of the Irish star have also stated that drugs and suicide played no part in Stephen’s death. Gately’s former Boyzone band-mates arrived in Majorca last night and described him as ‘our friend and brother’ as well as saying he ‘lit up our lives'.
Boyzone was a U.K. hitmaker in the 1990s and announced a comeback tour at the end of last year. Gately also had released several solo singles and appeared in stage musicals, including "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," AP reported.
The group's manager Louis Walsh told the News of the World, "We're all completely devastated." Elton John said he and partner David Furnish were "stunned by this tragedy." "Stephen was the kindest, gentlest soul. We send our love and condolences to his partner Andy and to all his friends everywhere," John said in a statement, according to the same source.
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