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The Media Destroys Stephen Gately With Drugs And Suicide

7912500STEPHEN Gately died over the weekend. When a celebrity dies the media goes into hyper-drive. In the coming days their will be analysis, praise, eulogies and criticism. But for now there is mourning and chance for whispered tones and mawkishness. And speculation. And talk of suicide and drugs.

Get this from the Press Association:

Mystery over cause of Gately death

Well, until the post-mortem, held tomorrow, there are no hard facts about Gately’s cause of death. But the Belfast Telegraph has a list of causes its working through:

Boyzone’s Stephen Gately didn’t die from drugs, says grieving family

Gately also didn’t die from lots of other things. The introduction of drugs into the narrative is unwarranted, raising more questions than it answers.
The Daily Mail delivers this headline, full of speculation and talks of those drugs:

Stephen Gately: The Boyzone star’s secret life that drove him to lies, pills and depression

Why wait for the post-mortem? The Daily Mail get in early with the critique. And you know he was gay. Oh, yes, dear Daily Mail readers, a gay showbiz star:

And when he did finally come out in a blaze of publicity ten years ago, it coincided with him becoming hooked on drugs to deal with a bout [sic] depression so severe he became a virtual recluse who confided to friends his suicidal thoughts.

So his gayness depressed him? Or was it this:

But he confessed to battling frightful depression after Boyzone split. He said: “It was weird being on your own in Asia promoting yourself and not having your buddies. I was on anti-depressants for a couple of years.”

But he was gay. Gay I tells yer. Gay! The Mail clacks it’s marmalade-coated tongue and sprays flecks of spittle:

The feared backlash from the group’s girl fans did not materialise, but Gately later admitted he was subjected to homophobic abuse in his native Ireland and pulled out of plans to buy a home in Canterbury, Kent, because of anti-gay chants by local teenagers.

Kent is in England. Homophobic abuse can be more subtle and pointed than a few pillocks. And the Mail goes on. Take the words “Gay” and “Depressed” and make the link:

Doctors put Gately on antidepressants, but he quickly became addicted to his medication and later admitted: ‘I was a zombie. On these anti-depressants you can’t even laugh or cry.’

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Posted: 12th, October 2009 | In: Celebrities, Key Posts | Comments (13)