Formed in 1993, Boyzone became one of the defining boy bands of the 1990s, delighting fans with their harmonies, heartfelt ballads and captivating performances.
With 25 million albums sold worldwide and a string of hits like No Matter What and Love Me for a Reason, the Irish group earned their place in pop history.
But while most fans remember the group’s original line-up – Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham, and Stephen Gately – there were two members whose names are less commonly associated with the group’s rise to fame: Richard Rock and Mark Walton.
Both were recruited following an audition in Dublin where thousands of young men queued for hours to perform in front of the groups’ founder Louis Walsh.
But before the band even hit the charts with their debut hit Love Me For A Reason, the Irish music mogul sacked them.
While Ronan, Stephen, Keith, Mikey and Shane went on to find global fame and fortune, Richard and Mark were forced to go back to normality as they realised their showbusiness careers were over.
So as the Boyzone documentary, Boyzone: No Matter What launches this weekend, MailOnline reveal where they are now.
Formed in 1993, Boyzone became one of the defining boy bands of the 1990s, delighting fans with their harmonies, heartfelt ballads and captivating performances (pictured L-R: Ronan Keating, Miley Graham, Stephen Gately, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy)
While most fans remember the group’s original line-up, there were two members whose names are less commonly associated with the group’s rise to fame (L-R: Original line-up Richard Rock, Stephen Gately, Mark Walton, Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy)
Richard Rock: From Boyzone’s Bad Boy to Redemption
Richard Rock’s exit from Boyzone was as dramatic as it was inevitable. As the son of Irish entertainer Dickie Rock, performing ran in his veins.
He often claimed that, in the early days, it was he, not Ronan Keating, who served as the frontman.
In the early 90s, he was part of the band’s initial formation, but his bad-boy image—coupled with erratic behaviour and a growing dependency on hard drugs—was a stark contrast to the polished, clean-cut image the group was aiming for.
Boyzone’s managers, Louis Walsh and John Reynolds, made the decision to part ways with Rock, and the self-proclaimed ‘bad boy’ was left behind as the band went on to become one of the biggest pop acts in the world.
Looking back on his departure, Richard remembers it as a painful, yet crucial moment in his life.
‘I arrived into Shaft nightclub on Ely Place and I was pretty wasted on E [ecstasy] and Louis and John told me I was out of the band. I was, like, ‘Whatever’.
But two weeks later, it started to sink in.
Richard (circled, left) and Mike (circled, right) were recruited following an audition in Dublin where thousands of young men queued for hours to perform in front of the groups’ founder Louis Walsh, and later featured in a notorious interview with presenter Gay Byrne on Ireland’s The Late, Late Show (pictured)
With 25 million albums sold worldwide and a string of hits like No Matter What and Love Me for a Reason, the Irish group earned their place in pop history
‘I spent the next few years watching them getting bigger and bigger and I just went off the rails for a while. It did affect me and my life,’ he told the Irish Independent.
As Boyzone’s star rose, Richard spiralled into a deep abyss.
The emotional turmoil of losing his place in the band, coupled with years of battling inner demons, drove him to self-destructive behaviour.
Richard returned to the entertainment world on a smaller scale, working as a DJ at local venues in Dublin and focusing on songwriting in hopes of reviving his music career.
However, he was never able to achieve major success in the industry again.
In 1994, while Boyzone was riding high on the charts, Richard first experimented with heroin during a trip to Marbella.
‘It blocked out all the crap that was in my head, because I was just so frustrated,’ he said.
‘I didn’t have any direction about what I wanted to do. I really wanted to do music, but I couldn’t see any way out. It was just a dark space I was in. When I was taking heroin, it lifted me.’
But before the band even hit the charts with their debut hit Love Me For A Reason, Irish music mogul Louis Walsh sacked Richard and Mark (pictured L-R: Stephen Gately, Richard Rock, Shane Lynch, Gay Byrne, Keith Duffy, Mark Walton and Ronan Keating)
As Boyzone’s star rose, Richard spiralled into a deep abyss and eventually succumbed to a crippling heroin addiction
Over the next several years, Richard’s addiction to heroin escalated.
He was often using before performances, and the chaos of his life became all-consuming.
By the late 90s, Richard’s addiction had led to run-ins with the law, a suspended prison sentence, and devastating family moments.
He received a two-year suspended sentence for possessing £40 worth of heroin at the Northbrook Hotel in Ranelagh, as well as for knowingly allowing his vehicle to be used to transport drugs on June 2, 1998.
His father, the legendary Irish singer Dickie Rock, was forced to watch his son’s decline.
Dickie Rock broke down in the witness box, saying through tears: ‘My son has already received a sentence over the last two years due to publicity he did not deserve because of me.’
Richard eventually got married in 2018 to glamorous Iranian photographer and videographer Sadaf Javan (pictured)
Watching his father in such distress, Richard felt a deep sense of shame.
‘It was a horrible, horrible experience,’ he recalled. ‘It was f***ing horrible, absolutely f***ing horrible.’
Yet, amidst the darkness, there was a glimmer of hope.
After years of failed attempts at recovery, Richard finally found a way out in 2004 when he checked into Forest, a rehabilitation center in Wicklow.
Richard stayed for five weeks, and it was there that he found the strength to reclaim his life.
He has worked for a media company that handled promotion for venues like the Olympia Theatre and the Pod, and he was part of an electronic duo called Lectrosoul.
Richard eventually got married in 2018 to glamorous Iranian photographer and videographer Sadaf Javan.
The couple originally lived in Goa, India, but are now thought to be based in Dublin.
Mark Walton: From Boyzone to Billionaire Aspirations
Unlike Richard Rock, Mark Walton’s exit from Boyzone did not come with the same public struggles or controversies
After leaving the band, Walton dived into entrepreneurship and found success with his company 5th Avenue, which works with major artists like Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias
Unlike Richard Rock, Mark Walton’s exit from Boyzone did not come with the same public struggles or controversies.
Walton’s journey post-Boyzone is marked by significant success in the business world, albeit with its own share of headline-grabbing moments.
After leaving the band, Walton, who grew up in Donaghmede, dived into entrepreneurship and found success with his company 5th Avenue, which works with major artists like Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias.
Walton also used his past experience to give pop hopefuls a helping hand by working as a judge on Vietnam Idol – the south-east Asian version of Simon Cowell’s widely syndicated talent show.
In 2016, Walton made headlines by claiming he had become a billionaire, something he never set out to achieve.
Walton (second left) also used his past experience to give pop hopefuls a helping hand by working as a judge on Vietnam Idol – the south-east Asian version of Simon Cowell’s widely syndicated talent show.
In 2016, Walton made headlines by claiming he had become a billionaire, something he never set out to achieve
Reflecting on his success, he said: ‘I never planned to be in a position where I could be a billionaire from Ireland.’
‘Right now, I have the crazy glamour, big-name side to what I’m doing in my career that I think no one expected of me.
‘And I intend to do a lot more with it than buy Lamborghinis and spend my time on the beach.’
However, Walton’s life has not been without its dark moments.
In 2018, his ex-partner was convicted of murder after a badly burned body was found in the garden of a London home
Despite this, he continues to keep a relatively low profile in the public eye, focusing on his career and business ventures.
Today, he continues to be a part of the glitzy world of show business, working behind the scenes with some of the biggest names in the industry.
(L-R) Keith Duffy, Ronan Keating and Shane Lynch in a scene from new docu-series Boyzone: No Matter What
