A Stephen Gately tribute from a secret Boyzone admirer

I'll admit it. BOYZONE provided me with a secret, guilty pleasure.
I always liked the juxtaposition of STEPHEN GATELY and his sweet voice against the gruffer tones of RONAN KEATING in Boyzone, Ireland's first boy band.
That's why I am so saddened by the death of Gately, age 33, in Majorca, Spain.
Check out the video for one of the band's six UK No. 1 hits, "NO MATTER WHAT," for an example of how Gately and Keating worked so well together (click here).
I also liked their cover of the Billy Ocean song, "WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH" (click here).
Gately joined Boyzone in 1993 after answering an ad in Dublin to audition for Ireland's first boy band.
His announcement in 1999 that he was gay generated banner headlines. Cynics would quip about boy bands in general: "Aren't they all gay," but Gately's coming out took real courage -- the band sold millions of records to legions of female fans.
He married his civil partner, Andrew Cowles, in 2006. Cowles accompanied Gately to Majorca.
In the above photo, Gately is in the lower-right-hand corner. He had a great voice, perfectly paired with Keating's, and Gately will be missed.