Boyzone star 'choked on his own vomit' - reports

Boyzone star Stephen Gately died after choking on his own vomit following a drinking binge, according to UK reports.

An investigator is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying that Gately was found dead in the Majorca villa in a "strange position ... he was found squatting down on the sofa almost in a praying position".

Police are looking for a Bulgarian man named Giorgio who had been invited to Gately's compound with he and partner Andy Cowles after meeting at a nightclub on Friday evening.

Gately was found by Mr Cowles on Saturday afternoon but it is unclear whether Giorgio had left the flat before Gately died.

Police said Giorgio was not under any suspicion but could provide vital investigation into the death.

Boyzone, which announced their comeback tour last November had six UK number one hits between 1994 and 2000.

News of the World's showbusiness editor Dan Wootton told Sky News UK the news was "obviously incredibly tragic ... and very unexpected".

News Radio Boyzone manager Louis Walsh told the newspaper: "We're all absolutely devastated."

"I'm in complete shock: I was only with him on Monday at an awards ceremony ... we don't know much about what's happened yet," he added.

Gately revealed that he was gay in June 1999 and later married Cowles in a civil union in 2006, Sky News UK said.

After Boyzone split Gately continued his career as a solo artist, but was dropped by Polydor in 2001 after three Top 20 singles.

He enjoyed further success performing in musicals, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2003-04.

Boyzone's Shane Lynch told News of the World that he "and the boys are flying out in the morning.

"We just need to get over to where he's passed and work out what we need to do."

Another of the group, Ronan Keating, who is in Chicago, has been left devastated, the paper said.

A friend of Keating's said: "Ronan is completely distraught. No one saw this coming. He loved Stephen like a brother, they were so close, it's absolutely floored him.

"It's a massive shock to everyone and no one can take it in yet. He was a man in the prime of his life, and this is a huge tragedy."

Gately, who was born in Ireland in 1976, joined Boyzone in 1993 after answering an advertisement in Dublin to audition for Ireland's first boy band.

He and Ronan Keating shared lead vocals and had huge success until they decided in 2000 to move on to solo projects.

Gately was the first with his debut solo single titled New Beginning and later a debut solo album of the same name.

Last week he attended the Pride of Britain Awards. The band were intending to bring out a new album in 2010.

- AAP