Gately was found dead on a sofa in his Majorcan home, aged 33
Anger over Mail column on Gately](http://www.paklinks.com/2/low/uk_news/8311499.stm)
**Celebrities and fans are due to pay their respects at the funeral of former Boyzone star Stephen Gately.**The ceremony is to take place at St Laurence O’Toole’s Church in Dublin at midday on Saturday.
Mr Gately was found dead at his holiday home in Majorca last week. A post-mortem found he died of natural causes.
The funeral takes place after more than 1,000 complaints were made about a Daily Mail column written by Jan Moir on the singer’s death.
Grief-stricken
Friends and neighbours have been cleaning the church and surrounding areas in preparation for the ceremony.
Mr Gately’s Boyzone bandmates are due to sing during the service, which thousands of fans and celebrities are expected to attend.
Among those due to pay their respects are members of fellow Irish boy band Westlife, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, former Irish taoiseach Bertie Ahern and David Furnish, the partner of Sir Elton John.
Loudspeakers will relay the ceremony to well-wishers outside.
Instead of flowers, mourners have been asked to make donations to the Caudwell Children Charity, for which Mr Gately was an ambassador.
His grief-stricken bandmates escorted the late singer’s body back to his hometown on Friday.
The group arrived at Dublin Airport as Mr Gately’s family and close friends paid their respects at a private service on Friday night.
Parents Margaret and Martin, his brothers Mark, Alan and Tony and his sister Michelle, his partner Andrew Cowles and Boyzone manager Louis Walsh all attended the ceremony.
About 300 people lined the streets near the church, greeting his coffin with gentle applause.
Boyzone have visited Father Declan Blake at the church to discuss funeral arrangements and were expected to stay with Mr Gately’s body in the church overnight.
The singer will be cremated at Glasnevin Cemetery before 450 guests attend a funeral party in a hotel in the city.
His body was flown home on a private plane with Mr Cowles and the surviving members of Boyzone, who have had tattoos of the letter “S” and dates “76 09” in memory of Mr Gately.
Before leaving, Boyzone’s Ronan Keating said: “Last Saturday, our world changed forever when we lost our friend and brother.”
He also appealed for the media to continue respecting their privacy.
Mr Walsh has confirmed he will not appear on The X Factor this weekend as he attends the funeral.