Boyzone, the Irish boy band formed in 1993 by X Factor judge Louis Walsh, achieved global success with members Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch selling over 25 million records worldwide.
The Picture Of You hitmakers disbanded in 1999, reunited in 2007, and finally parted ways in 2018 after their 25th anniversary.
As the band members prepare to attend the premiere of their new Sky documentary, Boyzone: No Matter What, airing next month, we reflect on their individual journeys since their split.
From messy divorces, disputes and disagreements to soap opera careers, spin-off groups and the devastating loss that brought them closer together, here’s what happened next for Britain’s second most successful boyband ever…
Stephen Gately
Stephen Gately tragically passed away in October 2009, just as Boyzone had reunited and completed their Back Again… No Matter What Tour.
He and his partner, internet entrepreneur Andrew Cowles, had just arrived at their £1million apartment in the upscale Majorca resort of Port d’Andratx for a month-long working holiday when tragedy struck, reports the Mirror.
On the evening of Saturday, October 9, 2009, they went out for dinner and drinks in the nearby city of Palma.
Stephen was tragically found dead on his sofa the following afternoon, having suffered from ‘acute’ pulmonary oedema – fluid on the lungs – due to an undiagnosed heart condition.
His death was not linked to alcohol or drugs, according to the pathology report, and he had been in good spirits in the days leading up to his passing.
His widower previously shared with The Mirror: “I do get some comfort from knowing how happy he was that day.”
He added: “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.”
Stephen’s grief-stricken bandmates immediately flew to Majorca to bring his body home.
When his distraught mother expressed concern that her son didn’t “like to be alone”, his ‘brothers’ decided to hold an overnight vigil before the funeral at St Laurence O’Toole Roman Catholic church, spending the night in sleeping bags next to the 33 year old’s coffin.
“We cried and we laughed and we could hear him telling us jokes, and we could hear him answering back…” Ronan later reflected. “It was a beautiful, amazing experience to be there with Steo that night.”
Keith Duffy
Keith Duffy, like his bandmates, was deeply affected by Stephen’s loss.
When they were tasked with choosing a coffin, he described it as the “hardest thing that any of us have had to do in our lives.”
He added: “This was something that was going to be the last thing that your friend is going to lie in.”
Following the funeral, Keith was confronted with the harsh reality of his grief, which manifested in the form of terrifying nightmares that made him afraid to sleep.
He shared his experience with Closer magazine, saying: “I was distraught – I felt anger, disbelief, I cried a lot and had terrible nightmares,” and “In the first few weeks, they were terrifying. I couldn’t breathe, I’d go light-headed and it was incredibly frightening.”
For years, he grappled with his loss, often resorting to alcohol as a coping mechanism.
When the band resumed touring just two years later, still grappling with their grief, Keith admitted to The Express that it was a disaster. “He died in 2009 and we were back on the road in 2011, two years later – which was way too soon. Way too soon,” he said.
“Emotionally and psychologically… I’ll be very honest, myself and Shane were drinking too much, trying to numb the pain, onstage and offstage. It just didn’t work, and it wasn’t enjoyable. We didn’t want to be together. That’s when we took a sabbatical.”
After Boyzone disbanded, Keith joined the cast of Coronation Street as barman Ciaran McCarthy and also appeared as John, the security guard, in 2014’s Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie.
He married his wife Lisa in Las Vegas in 1998, with Ronan serving as best man, and they have two children – Jay and Mia.
Duffy’s foray into reality TV, including stints on Celebrity Big Brother and Splash, led to an unexpected collaboration with ex-Westlife member Brian McFadden in 2015, forming a duo that triggered criticism from Kian Egan.
As Westlife’s former bandmate, Egan openly expressed his displeasure, remarking: “It’s a bit of an odd one – a member of Westlife who left the band after four years decides to use half the name for whatever it is that they’re doing.”
Keith, however, remains unphased by the comments and is committed to performing with McFadden for as long as their fans are interested.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, he emphasised the friendship and fun at the core of their act: “Myself and Brian have always been pals. We don’t take anything too seriously,” adding, “We’re doing gigs for cruise lines, for Euro Disney, it’s very busy. We’re going to keep going for as long as people want to see us.”
Shane Lynch
Shane Lynch, known as the ‘bad boy’ of Boyzone due to his piercings, tattoos, and daunting temperament, once brawled with rapper P Diddy after the MTV European Music Awards over a VIP area conflict.
Discussing the incident from 2001 with The Mirror, he said: “They were ordering everybody to get out – and right in the middle of all the hassle was my [ex] wife Easther [Bennett, of Eternal fame].
“I saw red. My mood changed. I was like a bull in a china shop, it was really strange and everybody stood back. Puff Daddy was standing on a table holding a bottle of champagne. He pointed it and started to shoot it at me for whatever reason, I don’t know. So I jumped through the air and gave him a solid one to the jaw and he fell off the table. Then all hell broke loose.”
After Boyzone disbanded, Lynch pursued various interests including reality TV, putting his competitive edge to the test in shows like Celebrity Love Island and The Games, and showcasing his flair as a performer in pantomimes, staying true to his devout Christian faith.
His passion for motor racing remains undiminished, and Shane competes at high levels whilst also appearing on Celebrity Masterchef and co-owning barbershops in Northern Ireland.
Shane’s family is no stranger to fame either; his twin sisters Keavy and Edele Lynch were members of B*Witched. His personal life saw a split from Easther, followed by marriage to Sheena White in 2007, with whom he has two daughters, Billie Rae and Marley Mae.
Mikey Graham
Mikey Graham, now 52, returned to the limelight in 2010 disclosing that he and Shane did not speak for 15 years due to an argument over an exhaust pipe, a silent feud that ended when Boyzone reunited.
Mikey confided to The People: “For many years me and Mikey were the furthest apart – I mean we didn’t get on at all.”
Reflecting on the early days of the band in 1993, Shane shared: “When the band formed in 1993 I was 17, mad about cars and working as a car mechanic. Mikey was 21 and also a car mechanic but a more advanced one. One day we fell out. It wasn’t really ‘spanner envy’ but, quite ridiculously, we fell out over a bloody exhaust pipe. I remember it clearly. I was always into the racing side of cars and Mikey was more a straight mechanic on your average car.”
He recalled their disagreement, saying: “We were discussing the exhaust pipe and how it would get the car to go a little bit faster and he told me I was talking absolute nonsense and that was impossible. And, believe it or not, we fell out over that and we didn’t talk for years.”
He elaborated on their relationship at work previously: “We worked together but there was always the clear understanding that at that moment we were two individuals who had absolutely nothing in common.
“We didn’t totally ignore each other, but we never hung out together. I’d hang out with Ronan and Stephen while Keith and Mikey hung out because they were closer in age. That’s just how it always was, right up until our comeback.”
He spoke about their reunion: “When we got back together to tour, it was apparent that we were all adults. We all wanted the same things from life, shared the same values. All five of us instantly became very, very close and understood each other. Ever since then Mikey and I have become really good pals and he’s actually a brilliant lad to know. He is a very, very knowledgeable guy, a great reader and he’s very, very wise.”
Meanwhile, Mikey threw himself into various competitions such as the Irish Celebrity Apprentice in 2013, where he reached the finals, and also contended for the position of Ireland’s Eurovision Song Contest act in 2010.
Graham has two daughters, Hannah and Sienna Nicole, from a previous relationship and tied the knot with his wife Karen Corradi in 2004.
A far cry from his Boyzone days, Mikey now embraces a quieter, rural existence in Ireland—as he candidly expressed in their new documentary trailer: “I just wanted out” and “to get away from that toxic environment.”
Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating has enjoyed remarkable success as a solo artist, selling over 20 million records with smash hits like Life is a Rollercoaster and When You Say Nothing At All.
His entertainment repertoire includes being a judge on Australian versions of The X Factor and The Voice, coupled with a seven-year tenure hosting the breakfast show on Magic Radio.
December 2022 saw him join The Voice Kids UK as a coach, and in June 2023, he appeared on The Voice of Germany.
Keating’s personal life underwent public scrutiny when his marriage to Yvonne Connolly, with whom he has three children—Jack, Marie, and Ali—ended in 2010 following revelations of an affair with dancer Francine Cornell.
He soon after found love with TV producer Storm Uechtritz after the pair met during his stint on the set of X Factor Australia.
The couple wed in a majestic Scottish ceremony in 2015 and welcomed two children together, son Cooper and daughter Coco.
Keating experienced a notable rift with Louis Walsh when he decided to part ways with him as his manager back in 2003. The pair were briefly reunited after the tragic passing of Stephen.
However, their feud flared up once more in 2013, with Louis telling The Times that they were no longer on ‘talking terms’ and criticising Ronan as “a manufactured pop star who actually believed his own publicity”.
Louis went on to make a cutting remark, saying, “Ronan thought he was George Michael,” and added, “He said he didn’t want to be a karaoke artist. Well, that’s what he is.”
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In response, Ronan spoke to the Belfast Telegraph in 2020, dismissing the former Boyzone manager as just ‘bitter’. He acknowledged Louis’s role in the band’s beginnings: “Boyzone happened because of Louis Walsh, he was fundamentally the reason we got our start,” but he insisted that their success was due to their own efforts, stating, “After that it was all down to us and what we did individually.”
Ronan also expressed his view on Louis’s attitude, commenting: “He was bitter. Someone like Louis, he’s been so successful and made so much money, he should be embracing everything about music that comes out of this country.”
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