Post-mortem on Stephen Gately due today

Post-mortem on Stephen Gately due today
Post-mortem on Stephen Gately due today (Image credit: PA)

A post-mortem examination to establish the cause of Boyzone singer Stephen Gately's sudden death is expected to be carried out. Police in Majorca, where the 33-year-old died, have said there were 'no signs of suspicious circumstances'. But a Palma police spokesman said they hope the post-mortem examination will shed light on exactly what happened. Gately's family have rejected claims that he died after a marathon drinking session. A man who was at Stephen Gately's apartment the night he died has described seeing the Boyzone star's lifeless body. Georgi Dochev, 25, said the singer was 'very cold and white'. He told reporters he had found Stephen's body and had alerted Gately's partner Andrew Cowles. Bulgarian Mr Dochev is believed to have accompanied Stephen and Andrew back to the apartment in the resort of Port Andratx in the early hours of Saturday after a night out. Mr Dochev has spoken to police who are investigating the death. Gately's devastated bandmates - Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch - who flew out to the Spanish island on Sunday, returned home on Monday night. A spokesman said: "All the boys are home now. They went there to pay their respects and start dealing with the fall-out of the situation. However, it's clear that them being there at the moment is bringing a lot more attention to the situation." Relatives have insisted Gately's death was a 'tragic accident' and that no foul play was involved.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.