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Friends of Stephen Gately fear he may not have made a will
Monday, 2 November 2009
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Friends of Boyzone star Stephen Gately fear he may not have made a will.
Sources close to the tragic singer suggest there is a strong possibility that the 33-year-old did not settle his affairs before he died.
Three weeks after his death, those close to Gately are continuing to search for his last will and testament.
Gately's husband, Andrew Cowles, told family members he believed a will was in the possession of a London law firm, but he didn't know which firm, and, to date, no one has come forward with the necessary documentation. Now a source close to Mr Cowles, who became the civil partner of Gately in a Las Vegas ceremony in 2006, has said “there's a very real possibility” that Gately did not make a will.
“When you consider how high-profile the funeral was, covered by 24-hour rolling news channels, watched by millions across Ireland and the UK, one would think that if a law firm did hold the will and had read reports that Stephen's family are desperately searching for it, they would have come forward by now,” he said.
“Realistically someone would have picked up the phone and contacted the family,” he added.
Speaking about the estate, estimated to be in the region of £11m, the source also explained what would happen to the fortune if it turns out that no such will exists.
“If there is no will, which is looking more and more likely as the days go by, then it makes everything very complicated legally,” he said.
The star was found dead in his apartment in Majorca on October 10 after suffering from a rapid build-up of fluid in the lungs — acute pulmonary oedema.
Since rocketing to fame in the early Nineties, 33-year-old Gately earned millions from touring, album sales and other business investments.
A source close to Gately's family says the star's mother and father, Margaret and Martin Gately, are only concerned with finding out if their late son had any final wishes.
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Did it ever occure to anyone that maybe Gately's husband and his family do not wish to announce to the world if and what kind of a will Gately had made? Maybe they know where the will is (and what it says in it) but feel no need to make an official statement about it? And I doubt any solicitor holding the will will contact the press about it... Neither Gately's husband nor the family seem to be the kind of people who like to work closely with the press ;-) I hope their privacy is respected in these difficult times and they can handle this matter amongst themselves. I doubt that someone has high-profile and well-off as Gately, especially a gay man who would want to make sure his partner is taken care of, would not have a will.
And Gately and Cowels had their Commitment Ceremony in Las Vegas in 2003, the Civil Partnership was 2006 in London... :-)
Posted by Anna | 04.11.09, 17:30 GMT
Stephen Gately died at such a young age,sadly taken to soon.It would not be a surprise to me if he had not left a will-he was a young,healthy man.I hope that a conclusion can be reached so that his husband,family and friends can be left to heal with Stephen's last wishes in their hearts.Best wishes and love,Tanice XxX
Posted by Tanice | 03.11.09, 01:11 GMT