THE sudden death of Boyzone star Stephen Gately at 33 shocked the country this month.

For one Warrington family the news of his unexpected death was all too familiar.

Nine years ago Angela Morris' 18-year-old son Colin died in his sleep. He was a perfectly healthy teenager with a bright future ahead of him but in one night his life was snuffed out.

His death was recorded as natural causes because there were no foreign chemicals, like alcohol or tobacco, in his body.

His heart simply stopped. His mum, Angela, now campaigns for SADS, or Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome, which caused Colin’s death.

“Stephen Gately’s death brings it all back,” she said this week. “People are saying it is drugs or drink, and some people made those comments about Colin.

“But for a death to be recorded as natural there must be no substances in the body.”

One column in particular has angered SADS UK. Two weeks ago the Daily Mail’s Jan Moir wrote a now notorious column entitled ‘A strange, lonely and troubling death’.

“She said healthy young men don’t just go to sleep and never wake up,” said Angela.

“My Colin went to bed one night and never woke up and on his death certificate it says natural causes.”

Stephen Gately’s post mortem also said his death was due to natural causes.

Jan Moir’s column attracted the most complaints ever recorded to the Press Complaints Commission and was widely interpreted as an attack on gay men.

She later apologised if the timing of her piece upset Mr Gately’s family.

“Young people do die suddenly, he is within the age group as it happens to young fit healthy people under 35 years of age,” said Angela.

She now runs a support group for bereaved parents on the third Thursday of every month in Sandbach. If you would like to go, call Angela on 07972 785958.

Find out more about SADS at sadsuk.org.