Mika and Boyzone: how he 'gave it all away'- the Sun

The title of the thread is mine, the actual title of the article is:

Ronan’s kept his tragic pal’s final message

the interview is quite moving, but Mika's fans will be far more moved by the sentences in bold:

By SEAN HAMILTON

Published: 16 Nov 2009

BOYZONE star Ronan Keating has revealed the last text message he got from Stephen Gately - on the night of his tragic death.

And touchingly, Ronan, who regarded his beloved bandmate as a brother, has even memorised the words.

He said: "I've still got the last text he sent me on that Friday night. It said, 'Got the new songs. Love them pal. Really excited about the new album. Love you straw balls.' That's what he called me.

"I sent him back a stupid text then he went out that night - then he was gone."

Stephen - who Ronan affectionately refers to as Steo - died aged 33 in the early hours of Saturday, October 10, in Majorca.

Ronan was in Chicago preparing to run the city's marathon when he heard the terrible news.

He said: "I'd just gone out for a big bowl of pasta at a restaurant with the running team.

"As I'm sitting at the table my phone rang and it was our lawyer. He said, 'Stephen's passed away'.

"I had two or three Stephens in my head - but not Stephen Gately. When he said who it was I dropped everything on the floor and ran outside. I completely lost it. The first thing I did was ring Stephen's husband Andrew to say, 'Please tell me it's not true.' He said, 'It's not good'.

"I was in a bad way. I rang my wife, Yvonne, then the rest of the lads and Louis Walsh. I didn't want them to hear it from anyone else. I was in hysterics.

"I went straight to the airport and got on the next flight. Me and the lads went to the apartment to see Andrew, trying to figure out what happened.

"Then the four of us went back to the hotel and just cried and laughed until the early hours of the morning, trying to make sense of it.

"We stayed in the same room because no one wanted to be apart or be on their own."

It may seem strange to outsiders, but the night before the funeral in Dublin last month the bandmates - Ronan, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and Mikey Graham - decided to stay together again.

But this time it was in a church - with Stephen's coffin. They wanted to be united as a band for the last time.

Ronan, 32, said: "We didn't want him to be alone in the church and nor did his mum Margaret. He was also afraid of the dark.

So we said, 'Margaret, don't worry we'll be with him' and we got four sleeping bags and laid with him. It was the most moving experience of my life. It was beautiful. We sat on the pews and we sat on the floor.

"At one point the priest came out and said, 'Lads, won't you lie up on the altar there. At least it's got carpet down'.

"But we wouldn't go up there. It was the only time we'd ever had stage fright!"

Before Stephen died he recorded backing vocals for the song Little Drummer Boy for Ronan's new Christmas album and his pal says "he sounds like an angel".

It is clear the Boyzone frontman still hasn't come to terms with his death. He said: "It was a freak accident which I still can't fathom. I just can't explain it.

"What makes it more shocking was that Stephen was in the best shape of his life.

"He went to the gym every other day and he was really into his detox shakes and juices."

Stephen was found dead in the Port Andratx holiday apartment he owned with "husband" Andrew Cowles by Bulgarian Georgi Dochev, who had stayed over. The three had been out drinking the night before.

A post-mortem exam revealed Stephen had suffered a rapid build-up of fluid on the lungs.

Ronan said: "It is the single saddest thing that has ever happened to me.

"When my mum died we had known she only had a few months to live. So, subconsciously, your defence mechanism goes up and you prepare yourself.

"With Steo we had none of that. It was just absolute, definite and devastating. I miss my best mate every day. I still think he's going to walk through the door or ring me or text me. I am still completely raw. All I know is that I'm hugging my kids that bit tighter.

"All I want now is to see them grow up. It has shown me how fragile and delicate life is."

Ronan and wife Yvonne, 35, have three children, Jack, ten, Marie, eight, and Ali, four.

I meet the star in a central London hotel for the moving interview - the first time he has been back to Stephen's adopted home city since his death.

He said: "Everywhere I look I see him and hear him. I associate London with Steo so this is really tough. He was always the first person I'd call when I arrived here.

"He knew all the cool places to eat so he'd sort out The Ivy or Nobu or somewhere like that."

Ronan is angry that people don't realise how in love Stephen and Andrew were. He said: "Andrew's having good days and bad days. He's thrown himself into arranging a memorial. We don't know what that will be yet.

"But people have to understand Stephen and Andrew were totally in love. The week before he died me and Stephen spoke at length about Andrew.

"He told me how lucky he was to have met him and how lucky he was to have him by his side. There is no question they were in love. Absolutely genuinely. I know Andrew and we all go out with him regularly. He's one of us now."

After the funeral the Boyzone boys went to LA together to decide their future as a group. They pledged to finish the album they had been working on when Stephen died.

The first single will be a track called Gave It All Away, which was written by pop star Mika.

Ronan said: "About two years ago we were given this song which was written by Mika. We loved it so we recorded it for our greatest hits. At the last minute Mika pulled the song and took it back.

"But Stephen had loved it so much we asked whether we could get permission to use it.

"We were in Los Angeles at the time - and then the weirdest thing happened. The hotel lift doors opened and there was Mika! I'm thinking, 'This is really messed up. It must be fate'.

"Mika said, 'I know what you are going to say - the song is yours'.

"So we are going to complete the record and that will be the first single. There are two other songs with Stephen's vocals on them."

But Ronan thinks it's unlikely Boyzone will perform live without their beloved Steo any time soon.

He said: "It's just really hard at this stage to imagine singing without Steo. We've even been offered the chance to go on The X Factor but I'm not sure we could do it. It's too early."

Another person who is struggling to cope with Stephen's loss is Louis Walsh - the man who put Boyzone together back in 1993.

Ronan said: "Louis has taken it very badly. He's very shook up and I don't think it's hit him properly. The pair of them were very close and went out in London together."

Stephen's voice still lives on with Ronan's new Christmas album, Winter Songs, which is out today.

And the star is proud that Stephen performs backing vocals on Little Drummer Boy.

He said: "He sounds like an angel on it. We always saw each other over Christmas. So this year is going to be especially tough without him."

my eyes turned wet when i read this, Mika is a sweet person.

sorry if already posted, i searched but i couldn't find it in the news and press.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2731083/Boyzones-Ronan-Keating-on-his-grief-for-Stephen-Gately.html

First play will be by Ronan on his Magic 105.4 show on Sunday the 17th of Jan.

It will then go to UK radio on the 18th of Jan. The video will get it's first airing on Sky News on Monday the 18th where there will also be an interview with Ronan and Keith from Boyzone.

*dances*

I KNEW IT!!\

Well, not that I'm much of a fan of Boyzone or the song, but It was sweet of Mika. and Its good publicity for him.

**edit**

oh dear this poor guy died and i'm thinking of mikas publicity?

*slinks out of thread*

"Mika said, 'I know what you are going to say - the song is yours'.

my eyes turned wet when i read this, Mika is a sweet person.

My thoughts exactly He is so amazing!!

I wasn't much of a boyzone fan but Im sorry bout the guy.. :S

btw which song was it ?

I wasn't much of a boyzone fan but Im sorry bout the guy.. :S

btw which song was it ?

It's called Gave It All Away

We were talking about the article here yesterday:

http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20516&highlight=Stephen%27s

yep!

i know the news is 'old' , but i thought it was nice to have one thread dedicated to it....

I didn't realize the guys in Boyzone were so close.

And, I didn't realize this lift meeting was just last month! That must have been right around Mika's Hollywood gig.

I wonder what went through Mika's mind when he saw them there.

it's really sweet how he decided to give them the song:wub2:

t4p robertina

 

The first single will be a track called Gave It All Away, which was written by pop star Mika.

 

"We were in Los Angeles at the time - and then the weirdest thing happened. The hotel lift doors opened and there was Mika! I'm thinking, 'This is really messed up. It must be fate'.

 

amazing coincidence!!

"Mika said, 'I know what you are going to say - the song is yours'.

 

totally sweet,Mika!!

 

and maybe this song could make him get more attention in Asia countries!!you know....boyzone! but no offense, I live in Taiwan so I know...

 

but...he doesn't show up his name on it, right?!...well~@@

 

 

 

"So we are going to complete the record and that will be the first single. There are two other songs with Stephen's vocals on them."

 

 

 

and want to hear it!!!!asap!

Thanks for posting.

it's a very moving story...

I didn't know Stephen died. That's so sad.

I think i'll be happy later for that song but right now...

Yesterday, a French young actor died driving his car (he's got a wonderful wife and a little baby) and i just learnt about Stephen...

thank you, Robi! .... MIKA is UNIQUE!

Awwwww,, Robi, this is so moving...

Mika did the right thing at the right time...

For me, that's an evidence. Mika did nothing with that song. It would have been crual to say no again. And Mika is a nice guy. He did what he had to do when he agreed.

I didn't realize the guys in Boyzone were so close.

 

And, I didn't realize this lift meeting was just last month! That must have been right around Mika's Hollywood gig.

I wonder what went through Mika's mind when he saw them there.

 

"STALKERS!!!!!" Ok, ok, just kidding

We were talking about the article here yesterday:

http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20516&highlight=Stephen%27s

Yes, I was so thrilled about the meeting at the lift, and Mika having a chance to actually tell them in person, face-to-face that the song would be theirs. This means there is no chance of anyone thinking Mika was pressured into giving them the song, or that he left it to his 'people' to tell them. I think Mika will also have learned a lot from this experience as it was wrong of him to take back the song in the first place, but we all make mistakes and do the wrong thing sometimes. But that is also how we learn. Mika has always seemed to think of his songs as his children, and has been very posessive of his work, but recently, I think he's learned that it's perfectly okay to let his children go, as they will always be his children.

Aww Mika...

Thanks for posting, Robi!

"Mika said, 'I know what you are going to say - the song is yours'.

"So we are going to complete the record and that will be the first single.

Mika

"STALKERS!!!!!" Ok, ok, just kidding

That's a lot of effort. I mean, don't the remaining Boyzone members live in the UK? Who would go to the effort of stalking Mika on another continent if they live in the UK already...?

wooow thx roby

grazie mille

That's a lot of effort. I mean, don't the remaining Boyzone members live in the UK? Who would go to the effort of stalking Mika on another continent if they live in the UK already...?

You need to read up on your boybands Mana . Boyzone are Irish and they all live in Dublin and around there. The only one that lived in London was Stephen

You need to read up on your boybands Mana . Boyzone are Irish and they all live in Dublin and around there. The only one that lived in London was Stephen

My bad. "No Matter What" was the only song of theirs that got any real airplay here, I think.

Still, Dublin to London is a much easier stalking journey than Dublin to LA.

My bad. "No Matter What" was the only song of theirs that got any real airplay here, I think.

 

Still, Dublin to London is a much easier stalking journey than Dublin to LA.

True, true . Sigh- I love the Irish lads

thank you, Robi! .... MIKA is UNIQUE!

yep is a person sweet :wub2: