The members of Irish man-band Boyzone have paid tribute following the death of their former manager, John Reynolds.
John, 52, who managed the band alongside Louis Walsh in the mid 90s, was found unresponsive in his apartment in Dublin’s Milltown last week. The cause of death has not yet been released.
The news was confirmed by John’s family, with a statement that read: “It is with great sadness that the Reynolds family confirm the sudden death of John Reynolds of POD this evening.
“John, aged 52 years, who was one of Ireland’s leading independent festival and concert promoters, died suddenly at his home in Milltown, Dublin. Funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days. The family requested privacy at this time.”
Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and Mikey Graham shared their condolences in a Twitter post, which read: “We were shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic passing of John Reynolds.
“John was an important part of the early days of Boyzone and we’ll always be grateful for his belief and friendship.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and friends.”
Ronan, Keith, Mikey, Shane and the late Stephen Gately were made a success by John and co-manager Louis back in the day.
John invested in Boyzone before they were known and he and Louis were said to have formed a close business partnership over the years.
He is partly to thank for the band’s huge rise to fame in their heyday, which saw them have six UK No.1 singles and nine No.1 singles in Ireland.
Read more: The Boyzone lads plan to reunite for their final tour
In a tragic turn of events, Ronan, 41, paid tribute to late Boyzone member Stephen, who tragically died in 2009 aged 33, just a day before the announcement of John’s passing.
He retweeted a post about Stephen from a fan’s Twitter page, which read: “#OnThisDay Stephen Gately & Ronan Keating performed at the annual BBC Electric Proms at The Roundhouse in London 10 years ago today on 25th October 2008. And adorable Stephen was a Disco Dancer!” To which he added a crying-face emoji.
It comes as the boys gear up for their 25th Anniversary tour as a four-piece, with dates starting this November and running until February 2019.
However, while discussing their comeback on The Dan Wooton Interview podcast in September, Ronan opened up about no longer being close to Louis since his days of managing the band.
Read more: Ronan reveals why he isn’t pals with former manager Louis Walsh
The dad-of-three said: “I don’t have any relationship with Louis. But I don’t think Boyzone would be here today if it wasn’t for the fight that Louis put up for us when everybody else in Ireland laughed and said there won’t be an Irish boyband.
“One day Louis is your best friend and the next he doesn’t know you.”
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