A happy, care-free trip with his partner turned into complete tragedy for beloved Boyzone member Stephen Gatley.

The year 2009 ought to have been a celebratory chapter for the singer, with both his personal world and showbiz career flourishing.Boyzone had triumphantly reunited, fresh from completing their Back Again... No Matter What tour, and fans were buzzing as the lads cracked on with their fourth studio record, Brother.

Tragically, Stephen would never witness the album's launch. That October, the Dublin star and his civil partner, internet entrepreneur Andrew Cowles, jetted off for a month-long trip in the posh Majorcan resort of Port d'Andratx.

On Saturday, October 9, 2009, the pair had spent the day sprucing up their £1 million Mediterranean pad ahead of visitors arriving. The next day brought devastating news - Stephen was discovered dead, aged just 33.

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Fellow band member Ronan Keating opened up about his friend's death last year, and revealed the heart-wrenching moment he was told about Stephen's passing.

He recalled: "My phone rang, it was a solicitor by the name of Gerald King that Boyzone had used in the 90s. Gerald Keen says to me, 'I'm sorry to tell you, but Stephen has passed away.' I said, 'Stephen who?' And he said, 'Stephen Gately.' I had to call Louis and the guys and give them the news."

For both his family and fans, Stephen's passing came as a devastating blow, with the unexpected circumstances leaving his everyone desperate for answers.

A neighbour who lived by Stephen's Majorca property told the Mirror at the time: "I spoke to them on the Saturday evening and they said they were just going to chill out at home. Stephen said he was tired and was on a health kick, so he was staying off alcohol during his holiday."

However, the pair ended up changing their plans and ventured into nearby Palma for an evening meal and drinks. The following afternoon, Stephen was discovered dead on the sofa. He had experienced 'acute' pulmonary oedema - fluid accumulation in the lungs.

The pathology report confirmed his death was not related to drink or drugs, and he'd been on good form in the days before, with his widower telling the Mirror: "I do get some comfort from knowing how happy he was that day. The night he died, we'd had such a good time, a lovely evening in our favourite restaurant. He was the most happy and confident he'd been in his life."

While out, they met model and student Georgi Dochey in a bar and partied at the Black Cat club before the three of them headed back to Stephen and Andrew's place at around 5.30 am.

There, Georgi said they kissed before Stephen fell asleep on the sofa next to Andrew, and he headed to a spare room. He was woken by the doorbell at 8 am but decided that as a guest, it wasn't his place to answer - a move that would haunt him for years to come.

"I heard someone ringing constantly. I got up and looked into the living room and saw Stephen and Andy still lying on the sofa. I just thought, 'It's not my house; I can't answer the door,'" Georgi previously told the Daily Mail. "I don't know if Stephen was already dead. I think about what might have happened if I had tried to wake him. Could he still be alive? It is really hard to think about things like that."

Georgi said he and Andrew were intimate in a bedroom hours later and that it was only when he stopped to have a cigarette on his way out that he noticed Stephen hadn't moved from his 'curled up' position on the sofa.

"I went to take his pulse and couldn't find one. I knew he was dead," he told The Sun in 2014. He didn't know how to break the news to Andrew, who was said to be sleeping in the couple's bedroom.

"I went into the bedroom and said, 'I'm going. Let's wake Stephen up so I can say goodbye. Andy replied, 'No, leave him sleeping,' and that's when I told him Stephen looked strange," he said.

Reliving the tragic scenes as Andrew desperately tried to revive his husband, Georgi continued, "Andy was whispering, 'Come on baby, wake up'. He began slapping him around the face when he didn't respond. When he, too, realised he was dead, he broke down in tears. He then tried to revive him by giving him mouth-to-mouth, but there was nothing either of us could do."

Stephen was pronounced dead at 2.25 pm but had passed away in his sleep hours before. "We know from the pathologis'’s report that Stephen died sleeping with me on the sofa," distraught Andrew told the Mirror. "I know that my boy fell asleep under my arm, his heart stopped, he didn't feel any pain."

Stephen died due to a pulmonary oedema, originally thought to be caused by an undiagnosed heart condition. However, a post-mortem and toxicology report showed that, while Stephen did indeed die of natural causes, his death had ultimately been caused by a congenital heart defect.

But in 2014, Stephen's family called for a fresh investigation into his death, which coroners ruled was due to natural causes. "A few things about that night don't make sense," his brother Tony told The Sun, questioning why Stephen fell asleep on the couch. But Andrew dismissed Tony's comments as "groundless" and said they had "stirred up a lot of vileness".

"I'm saddened that I'm still dealing with the estate and unable to grieve privately," he said at the time. "It's particularly difficult because I'm the administrator of the estate and must remain impartial. Some of the insinuations are dreadful."

In a Boyzone documentary released last year, Shane Lynch recalled the moment Ronan let him and the rest of the bandmates know the tragic news. He shared: "It was late, in the bar we're drinking. As I left the crowd, Ro's voice became louder in my phone. He was like, 'Steo, Steo, he's gone.'"

"'Our Stephen?' 'Yeah, he's gone,' Mikey Graham remembered, while Keith Duffy told viewers: "It just wouldn't go in. What? No, not our Stephen!"

Meanwhile, Ronan was choking back tears as he took over, saying: "And I hear them screaming. It's really hard. I can still hear them. I can't breathe."

"My legs go from under me. It would get through in little bits, and then it would be a complete breakdown," Keith said, while Mikey described feeling "numb."

The very next day, the surviving members of Boyzone flew out to see Stephen and return his body to the UK. They released the following statement: "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'."

Amidst all the tragedy, Boyzone are set to reunite once more, playing their biggest headline shows ever in June at the Emirates Stadium in London over back-to-back nights. They sold out their initial gig and added an extra date.

It was initially billed as their final ever performance - called One For The Road - to please their fanbase and the clamour for a comeback after the massivesuccess of their three-part Sky Documentary No Matter What last year.

Keith, 51, will take a break from a UK-wide tour with his spin-off act Boyzlife - a duo with ex-Westlife singer Brian McFadden - to reunite with Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham for Boyzone's final hurrah.