Police who sped to the scene concluded the 33-year-old Irishman had choked on his [own] vomit in the night....

Andy, 32, awoke and discovered the body some time after midday....

One pal said..."Doctors later confirmed Stephen's lungs had filled with fluid. There was nothing Andy could have done. He had drowned and asphyxiated...."

A police source said: "Stephen was discovered in a strange position - squatting down by the sofa in almost a praying position.

"His partner was beside himself with grief and was being comforted in their bedroom by a neighbour who he'd called on to help."

Police sources said the star's death appeared to be natural....

Stephen and Andy first "wed" in a Las Vegas commitment ceremony in 2003 and more formally in a civil partnership ceremony in London three years later.

Entertainment Weekly explains why Gately's death is such a big deal in the U.K.

I had always admired Gately, not only for his music but also his bravery in the media. Last year, when Boyzone officially reunited for the first time since 2000, I wrote:

Long before 'N Sync's Lance Bass came out of the closet and crushed the hearts of 13-year-old girls around the world, Stephen Gately was actually the first boy-band member to publicly admit he was gay. Back in 1999, Gately put the popularity of his Irish group, Boyzone (perhaps the gayest boy-band name, like, ever) at risk when he told The Sun, "I'm gay and I'm in love!" Coincidentally, it was revealed that he was head over heels for the member of another boy band, Caught in the Act (perhaps the second gayest boy-band name ever). So it is only fitting that Boyzone (reunited last year after disbanding in 2000) is now the first boy band to release a music video featuring a same-sex couple: Gately and [his partner Andy Cowles].

In the video for the terrifically cheesy ballad, "Better," the other band members are paired with women - they gaze at each other, caress, brush cheeks. And Gately does the same with a man. When he sings to his partner, "See, what I'm trying to say is/You make things better/And no matter what the day is/With you here, it's better," I melt a little.

Don't make fun of me. You know there is a tween girl trapped inside my body. And if you're a gay man who is reading this, you might as well confess to the same thing. CONFESS!

You know you want to watch the video now. So watch it.

For my money, Boyzone's only U.S. hit, "No Matter What" (an Andrew Lloyd Webber/Jim Steinman song), remains my favorite, which can easily double as a gay anthem. Watch:

No matter what they tell us
No matter what they do
No matter what they teach us
What we believe is true

I can't deny what I believe
I can't be what I'm not
I know this love's forever
That's all that matters now
No matter what