A POSTMORTEM examination has confirmed that Boyzone singer Stephen Gately died of natural causes on the Spanish island of Majorca last weekend.
The preliminary examination found that Gately (33) suffered an acute pulmonary oedema – a build-up of fluid on the lungs – but the underlying cause of the episode was not revealed.
Last night a spokesman for the Gately family said they hoped his body would arrive in Ireland on Friday and that his funeral could take place in Dublin on Saturday.
His remains were reposing at the municipal cemetery in Calvia, near Port Andratx, last night. Gately’s partner, Andy Cowles, was among those who visited the facility to pay their respects.
A Majorcan court service spokesman said the postmortem examination carried out yesterday morning confirmed the singer suffered an acute pulmonary oedema.
It can be common in over-50s due to a build-up of pressure in the circulation as a result of relatively weak heart function, while in younger people it is often caused by an underlying problem.
The court’s spokesman said a sample of pulmonary fluid taken during the postmortem, which was conducted at the Institute of Medicine in Palma, had been sent to a forensic laboratory in Barcelona to be tested to confirm the result of the examination.
“The autopsy carried out this morning did not reveal any signs of violence on the body,” he said.
“The court will wait for definite results of tests from Barcelona. While they wait the investigation is open. If all these steps confirm natural causes the case will be closed,” the spokesman added.
He said Gately’s death had nothing to do with any alcohol he drank the night he died and had nothing to do with drugs.
Mr Cowles attended the closed-door hearing and discussed Gately’s death with the judge through an interpreter for around an hour.
Dublin solicitor Gerald Kean, spokesman for the Gately family, said the paperwork necessary to allow the repatriation of Gately’s body was being finalised.
“We hope he can come home on Friday and that the ceremony can take place on Saturday,” he said last night. The funeral is to take place at St Laurence O’Toole’s church on Sheriff Street in north inner-city Dublin.
Mr Kean said the family were relieved the postmortem had confirmed the cause of Gately’s death, following much speculation.
“It’s a weight off their shoulders. They were confident it was natural causes but it was difficult for them to hear so many rumours about how he had died, which they knew were not true.”
He said the family wished to thank Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin and department staff in Dublin and Madrid for their assistance in arranging the repatriation of Gately’s remains.
Gately was discovered dead on Saturday afternoon on the sofa of a holiday apartment he shared with Mr Cowles, near the resort of Port Andratx in Majorca.
They had been socialising at the Black Cat night club in Palma, about one hour away, into the early hours of Saturday morning before returning to the apartment with a friend.
Mr Kean said a family member spoke to Gately at 12.30am Spanish time on Saturday and that he was in very good form.
He said there was never any doubt the singer was out on the town and had a few drinks the night before his death, but he denied media reports claiming Gately had been involved in an eight-hour drinking session.
Boyzone manager Louis Walsh told RTÉ yesterday the other members of the group would travel to Majorca again to accompany Gately’s remains back to Ireland.
