The family of tragic singer Stephen Gately has teamed up with his former Boyzone bandmates to found a trust in his name to raise awareness of the condition which led to his death.

To mark what would have been his 37th birthday on Sunday (17Mar13), the star's loved ones launched the Stephen Gately Trust.

Gately died from an undiagnosed heart condition, Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (Sads), while on vacation in the Spanish island of Majorca.

His ex-bandmates Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham have all signed up as ambassadors for the trust, which will work to spread awareness of Sads.

Keating took to his Twitter.com page to remember his friend on his birthday, writing, "Happy birthday brother. Always in our hearts. Never forgotten."

Gately's family said in a statement, "Michelle (his mother), with the help of her family, decided in memory of Stephen to set up the Stephen Gately Trust to raise awareness of Sads and to hopefully prevent other families having to go through the pain of losing a loved one.

"The money raised will be used to raise awareness of Sads and provide medical and other needed equipment to hospitals, schools, colleges and sports clubs."