Stephen Gately: Heart Condition Killed Him

F My Life: It's Funny, It's True, Except When It Happens to You

Stephen Gately's family believed that the former Boyzone singer had an undetected heart condition which killed him.

A post mortem exam which was done on the 33-year-old star, who died in Majorca on Saturday, revealed that he died from a pulmonary edema, a build up of fluid in the lungs which often coincides with heart problems.

Margaret Gately, the singer's mother, told family friend and attorney Gerald Kean, "As soon as I heard he had died I knew it was a heart problem. It has lifted a huge burden off our family’s shoulders."

Gerald added, "There is a heart condition on his dad Martin’s side of the family. Stephen would have had no idea he had this condition."

Now that several family members have died of heart problems, Gately's family members plan to undergo examinations to determine whether or not they have similar health concerns.

It had previously been thought that Stephen Gately died after choking on his own vomit after a night of drinking with his husband Andy Cowley.

However, local authorities have stressed that alcohol was not a factor in his passing.

A court spokesperson said, "Stephen’s death had nothing to do with any alcohol he drank that night and it has nothing to do with drugs. I’m not saying Stephen didn’t vomit but I can categorically state he did not choke on it."

Gately's funeral will be held in Dublin on Saturday, his bandmates said on their website on Wednesday.