Andy Cowles blames himself for Stephen Gately's death

London (ANI): The gay partner of Boyzone's Stephen Gately who was sleeping in the next room when he died on October 10 has said that he can never forgive himself for the singer's death. Andy Cowles expressed his regret to the remaining bandmates, who have flown in to Majorca, over not checking on his lover who allegedly choked on his own vomit after a reported eight hour drinking binge.

He apparently told Ronan Keating and Keith Duffy: "I will never forgive myself for this. He died and I couldn't help him. I feel like my life is over." Seemingly, the bandmates tried to console him and make him understand nothing could be done.

"They kept telling Andy that he shouldn't blame himself - but he just kept crying his eyes out," the Mirror quoted an insider as saying. "The guy is in a deep state of shock and he hasn't slept for a minute since this tragedy unfolded. He is a total mess and everyone is worried about him. They told him that there is nothing he could have done and that he has to stop blaming himself."

However, 31-year-old Cowles insisted that they were used to partying hard. "We have had wilder nights out in Dublin and this was nothing out of the ordinary. I just don't understand it. What hurts most is that he was only yards from me in the room next door and I didn't even know he was slipping away. If only I had gone in to check him."

Gately died at his apartment in Palma, Majorca.