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Boyzone Bandmates Honour Stephen Gately On What Would Have Been His 50th Birthday

By Dalton MacNamee
18/03/2026
Est. Reading: 2 minutes

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On St Patrick's Day, Keith Duffy and Ronan Keating paid tribute to their late Boyzone bandmate Stephen Gately, on what would have been his 50th birthday.

Gately, who was a member of the Irish boyband alongside Keating, Duffy, as well as Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham, sadly passed away on 10 October 2009 aged 33. The singer died from an acute pulmonary oedema, having had an undiagnosed heart condition, as his holiday home in Majorca, Spain.

On social media, Keith Duffy shared a video of himself raising a glass with his wife Lisa Smith, and their daughter Mia, as they marked St Patrick's Day and what would have been a very special birthday for Gately.

"On a day like today, especially today, it's very important we as a family remember our brother Stephen Gately. He would've been 50 today. 17 years an angel", Duffy wrote. "So today, we didn't know what to do, to be honest, but we wanted to make sure he was part of our day,' he continued, before the camera pans to a birthday set-up in honour of Stephen". 

He continued: "So we set up a little "Steo's 50th". His favourite colour was red, his favourite chocolates [are here], and obviously, Steo, we wouldn't let you down on your 50th birthday without a magnum of Cristal". 

"So ladies and gentlemen, whatever you remember Stephen [from], whether it was from Boyzone, whether it was from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, whether it was from the Child Snatcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Steo would've been 50 today". 

"And happy heavenly birthday, brother, we miss you. If everyone out there can remember their fondest memories of him, and cheers to Steo today". 

The video also shows the trio raising their glasses once more as they add: "Cheers Steo. We love you". 

 

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A post shared by Boyzlife (@officialboyzlife)

Elsewhere, Ronan Keating who had often referred to Stephen Gately as his "wingman", also paid tribute to his late bandmate, with a video of him raising a pint of Guinness in a pub in Sydney.

"Happy 50th Steo and Happy Paddy's Day, world", Keating wrote.

One fan wrote: "Aw, that was magic. Good man, Keith and Happy Heavenly Birthday, Steo", while another added: "This is so beautiful! Missed everyday by those who knew and loved him. I’ll keep all the memories safe in my heart". 

 

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A post shared by Ronan Keating (@rokeating)

Speaking last year, Ronan Keating said that he felt the Boyzone documentary, Boyzone: No Matter What, got "justice" for Gately.

At the time, Keating said: "If nothing else, this film is Stephen's legacy, that people get to see the beautiful human being that he was, the talent, the heart, but also how badly he was treated, because he could never talk about it". 

"We get to do that for Stephen, to find that justice for Steo... Finally, it's nice to be able to deal with that matter, and it's put to bed now", the singer added. "We were scared something bad was going to happen. It scarred him for life. Whoever was involved, God forgive them". 

Find out more on this story here.

Written by Dalton MacNamee

Dalton Mac Namee is a content writer for Classichits.ie and a freelance GAA reporter from Louth, Ireland.

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