New Boyzone documentary sheds light on Stephen Gately’s story and untimely passing

Commissioned by Sky Documentaries, Boyzone: No Matter What is a three-part series covering the highs and lows of the band's rise to stardom.

Ireland . Written by Beatrice Fanucci.

Photo of Irish boyband Boyzone, with a new documentary about them coming out last weekend. In the photo, the members are hugging each other and smiling at the camera, on a black background.
Image: Via X - @mrnicklevine

Released on February 2, the new documentary Boyzone: No Matter What is receiving widespread praise for its honest portrayal of the Irish boyband. Covering their journey to peak popularity and beyond, the documentary also explores gay band member Stephen Gately’s story, as well as his untimely passing.

The very first public appearance of the young boyband happened on the night of November 26, 1993, when Gay Byrne introduced Boyzone to Irish audiences on The Late Late Show. Originally including more members, in its most successful lineup, the band was composed of Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating, and Shane Lynch.

From that first appearance onwards, the band enjoyed massive success in Ireland and the UK. They scored nine number-one singles in Ireland and six in the UK, as well as selling over 25 million singles and filling arenas all over the world.

Commissioned by Sky Documentaries, Boyzone: No Matter What is a three-part series that covers the highs and lows of their rise to stardom, the impact of their success and the tabloid pressures they were under during those years. The documentary follows some of the band’s biggest moments through archival and new interviews with Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating, and Shane Lynch, as well as manager Louis Walsh.

 

The second episode of the series features one of the most painful moments for the band in the retelling of how Stephen Gately was forced to come out as gay. For years, the band’s management had worked to keep Gately’s sexuality a secret. However, in 1999, The Sun tabloid newspaper threatened to expose the singer with evidence of his relationship with his then-boyfriend.

In order to prevent the tabloids from controlling the narrative, manager Louis Walsh struck a deal and Gately was forced to give an “exclusive” interview in which he would come out. In the documentary, Keating, Walsh, and Stephen’s sister Michelle are shown the front page of the magazine which reads, “Boyzone Stephen: I’m Gay and I’m in Love.”

Visibly angry, Keating says: “He had no choice – it was not a choice.”

 

Gately died unexpectedly in his sleep on October 10, 2009, when he suffered a pulmonary oedema resulting from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect while on holiday in Majorca with his husband, Andrew Cowles.

The announcement of his passing was immediately followed by a frenzy of rumours and speculation about the cause of death. Speaking about that period, Michelle Gately said that the media intrusion had become so intense that some photographers had broken into their house.

In the documentary, Ronan Keating recalls the moment he had to call his bandmates to share the news of Gately’s death. The series also shows archival footage of the many people who attended the emotional funeral in Dublin.

At the time, the remaining members of Boyzone had shared a joint statement, saying: “We are completely devastated by the loss of our friend and brother, Stephen.

“We have shared such wonderful times together over the years and were all looking forward to sharing many more. Stephen was a beautiful person in both body and spirit.

“He lit up our lives and those of the many friends he had all over the world. Our love and sympathy go out to Andrew and Stephen’s family. We love you and will miss you forever, ‘Steo’.”

The documentary Boyzone: No Matter What is available on Sky Documentaries and NOW.

 

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