Boyzone’s Ronan Keating on losing Stephen Gately 11 years ago: “He was robbed”
RIP Stephen.
Ronan Keating has said he “misses the friendship” of late Boyzone member Stephen Gately, who died 11 years ago this month.
‘When You Say Nothing At All’ singer Ronan reflected on the anniversary in a new interview.
Stephen died on 10 October 2009 of an undetected heart condition at the age of 33.
“I feel he was robbed”
Speaking to Metro, Ronan said: “I feel he was robbed. He had so much living to do. And that makes me angry sometimes. And then I’m sad because I miss the friendship.”
The 43-year-old continued: “I would have liked him to have met my kids and [Ronan’s wife] Storm. I know he would have loved her.”
View this post on InstagramSteo. 17th March 1976 – 10th October 2009. Always in our thoughts. Photo by Ray Burmiston.
Speaking of Boyzone’s other surviving members Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham and Keith Duffy, Ronan said: “We don’t ever get our heads around it. You can’t. You just try to get on with your life.”
The band are known for hits like ‘No Matter What’, ‘You Needed Me’ and ‘Father and Son’. Stephen also enjoyed a solo career, with songs like ‘New Beginning’ and ‘I Believe’.
“All of a sudden he was gay”
In 2018, the band spoke to Attitude about Stephen coming out to the public as gay, saying: “At the height of our fame, Steo would often be worried on a Saturday night about what stories might run about him in the following day’s papers.
“We were on tour in Europe when he found out that a newspaper was planning to out him. He made a deal so he could tell the story himself, but we were so angry because the press basically forced him to do it. What other choice did he have?
“He was scared because he had to take a leap into the unknown, and he was most worried about the Boyzone fans and how they’d react. He was the cute little one in Boyzone who all the girls fancied, and all of a sudden he was gay. He was so stressed and worried, and what it did to him was terrible.”
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View this post on InstagramSteo. 17th March 1976 – 10th October 2009. Always in our thoughts. Photo by Ray Burmiston.