Boyzone members have paid emotional tributes to their late bandmate Stephen Gately on the ninth anniversary of his death. Gately died of natural causes at the age of 33 in October 2009 at his holiday home in Majorca, later revealed to be due to an undiagnosed heart condition.
Ronan Keating took to Twitter to honour his friend, writing: 'I hear your laugh every day bro. That wicked sense of humour still gets me through. Thank you for the friendship. Can't believe 9 years have passed. Miss ya Bro your song will last forever.' He also shared a photo of his tattoo bearing the numbers 76 09, referencing Gately's years of birth and death.
Shane Lynch posted a picture of himself hugging Gately on Instagram with the caption: 'When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.' Keith Duffy shared a series of photos, writing: 'There's not a day goes by where I don't remember a wonderful memory of times spent with this beautiful beautiful man.' Mikey Graham tweeted: '9 years ago today. Still can't believe Stephen. Still miss you pal.'
Gately, Keating, Lynch, Duffy and Graham rose to worldwide fame in Boyzone in the 1990s. The band have continued as a four-piece in recent years, but in May Keating confirmed they would split after their 25th anniversary celebrations. They are preparing for the release of their final album, 'Thank You & Goodnight' in November, and a farewell tour starting in January, including a show at Dublin's 3Arena on January 24.
The album will feature a song in tribute to Gately, a reworking of a demo he recorded in 2002 which includes his vocals.
