Boyzone arrive in Palma to take Gately's body back to Dublin
I received a phone call from the Sun picture desk at 7am on Sunday morning sending me to Majorca following the death of Boyzone member Stephen Gately.
I managed to get to Majorca by 2pm and drove straight to Gately’s apartment in Port Andratx. Many rumours circulating among the press suggested that Gately had been drinking at several clubs in Palma on the night of his death. I made sure that I photographed his apartment and the bars that he visited.
I was aware that Boyzone members were on their way to Majorca so I spent all day outside of Gately’s apartment in the scorching sun before they finally arrived at the apartment at 9pm.
Ronan Keating arrives at Gately's Majorca apartment
The first day was very busy, I must have driven hundreds of miles before I finally sat down for some food at 11pm. After dinner a few Journalists and I ventured in to the Black Cat (the gay bar Gately was last seen alive in) trying to see if anyone had any photographs of Gately at the club the night before.
The rest of the week was non-stop! My colleagues from the Mail, Mirror and Star were with me so between us we watched the hotel where Boyzone were staying and the apartment where Gately’s civil partner Andrew was at to keep an eye on any activity following his death. I managed to get a few shots as Andrew visited Boyzone at their hotel.
Boyzone flew home on Wednesday and Louis Walsh (the manager of Boyzone) had told journalists that they were planning to come back later in the week to take the body back to Dublin for the Funeral. For the rest of the week the press and myself were in search of a mystery Bulgarian man called Giorgio Duchev who was last seen with Gately the night he died. We managed to find his address in Palma and I got a picture of him as he left his home one morning.
Giorgio Duchev leaves his Palma apartment
Lots of money had been put his way including a sum of 70,000 Euros from a Spanish Television programme to tell all about what happened that night.
Thursday morning was a very grim day, I spent a day stood outside a Morgue with lots of other media organisations where the post-mortem of Gately took place. Eight bodies were placed in to vans and a very helpful although slightly crazy member of staff kindly pointed out which body was Stephen Gately’s.
Stephen Gately's body leaves the morgue
As expected on Friday morning Boyzone returned to Palma by private jet and held a press conference. The body was loaded on the plane and soon after they flew to Dublin. Due to all the hard work and stress of the week I was pleased to be leaving too.
Shane Lynch with his new Tattoo in memory of Stephen Gately
