The remaining members of Boyzone have gone public for the first time following the death of bandmate Stephen Gately in Majorca on Saturday.
In an emotionally charged press conference in Spain where the band have flown out to to accompany Stephen’s body back home to Dublin in preparation for the funeral tomorrow Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch spoke movingly of their "friend" and "brother" and claimed their worlds ‘have changed forever.’
"Last Saturday, our world changed forever when we lost our friend and brother Stephen. We have come to Majorca today to accompany our pal on his final journey back to Dublin, where we know he will be given an unforgettable send off tomorrow," said Keating who added it was too early for the band to think about their future..
"The countless messages of love and support we have received this week and have truly overwhelmed us and the Gately family. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for each and every one of them.’
He continued :"We would also like to thank the media for respecting our privacy this week and ask that you continue to do so tomorrow. Stephen lived to perform and truly loved being centre stage. You can be sure that he is looking down now wishing that we would move over so he could flash a smile for the cameras one more time."
After flying back from Majorca the group, who are set to carry the coffin tomorrow as well as sing at the funeral, will spend the night with Gateley’s body at St Laurence O’Toole’s Church in Dublin. The service is due to take place at midday tomorrow with thousands of fans expected to pay their respects.
