Further information has been revealed in the tragic death of Boyzone member Stephen Gately. The singer's lungs quickly filled with fluid and doctors say that in most cases this is related to heart failure and could have potentially been Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS).
UK cardiologist Dr. Sanjay Sharma explains:
“In young people like Stephen, under 35, the vast majority of cases are caused by either hereditary diseases affecting the heart muscle itself or an electrical fault of the heart…I would say it was an electrical fault, when the heart goes into a fatally fast rhythm, around 300 beats a minute. That would only need to happen for a couple of minutes to result in death. A medic would have had to have got to him within minutes. Often in these cases a first symptom of the condition is death, however he may have suffered palpitations and or blackouts.”
90 percent of SADS cases are men and 12 people under 35 die from the condition each week!
Toxicology reports aren't expected for another few weeks, but the autopsy doesn't suggest Gately's death was caused by alcohol or drugs nor foul play of any kind.
Stephen's grieving mother, Margaret Gately, suspects her son passed from a hereditary heart condition as his father's side of the family has been affected by heart disease in the past.
The remaining members of Boyzone plan to accompany Gately's body by private jet on its return to Dublin from Majorca later this week. His funeral is expected to take place on Sunday.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends and his partner, Andrew Cowles, during this sad time.
[Image via WENN.]
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