Stephen Gately: a life in pictures

Irish boyband Boyzone: Stephen Gately, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and Ronan Keating Photograph: Philip Ide / Mail On Sunday/Rex Features

Gately poses in 1995 Photograph: Andre Csillag/Rex Features

Boyzone at the height of the band's fame in 1997 Photograph: Ilpo Musto/Rex Features

Gately came out as gay in June 1999, after discovering that someone was trying to sell the story to the media Photograph: Malcom Croft/PA

Kay Murphy, as Mrs Potiphar, and Gately, as the lead, in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the New London Theatre in 2003 Photograph: Tristram Kenton

Gately and his partner, Andrew Cowles, after their civil partnership ceremony in London in 2006 Photograph: Rex Features

Gately and his ice skating partner Kristina Lenko in Dancing On Ice in 2007 Photograph: Ken McKay/Rex Features

Boyzone at a dress rehearsal, Doncaster: Having originally reunited in 2007 after a similar move by rival boyband Take That, Boyzone launched another comeback tour, this one entitled Better Photograph: Rex Features

Gately performs at Wembley Arena in May 2009 Photograph: Jo Hale/Getty Images

Boyzone (left to right), Lynch, Graham, Keating, Gately and Duffy perform on stage at the Big Gig Weekend at the Bath & West Showground, Somerset, in September 2009 Photograph: Barry Batchelor/PA