He was the voice of Boyzone's best ballad, No Matter What, one of the first modern pop stars to come out before he was outed, and an enthusiastic live performer who'd grab his crotch as high notes approached, allowing the audience's screams to drown out any vocal shortcomings.
While fans come to terms with the unexpected death of this former Smash Hits magazine's Hero Of The Year, let's enjoy this video of Gately in full flow, knocking out Beyonce's Single Ladies on the recent Boyzone comeback tour.
Like most aspects of Boyzone's comeback – and the Irish band's entire career – the clip is cheap, cheerful and rough around the edges, but Gately's clearly having a whale of a time.
The Single Ladies clip is clearly 100% Gately gold, but even Stephen, a self-confessed lifelong Disney obsessive, would be unlikely to turn down the following opportunity to plunge headfirst into sentimentality.
So try this one for size: Gately performing his 2000 cover of the Watership Down blubfest, Bright Eyes with a new score by Mike Batt, who originally penned the tune about his own dying father.
Perhaps that video's closing moments provide a fitting summary of Gately's career: flying around on wires and belting out a ballad with a couple of topless blokes thrown in for good measure.
