Steve Bronski has died at the age of 61.
Tributes have started to pour in from his friends and fans, with his former bandmate Jimmy Somerville leading the way with tributes.
The musician, from Glasgow, was born under the name Steve Forrest and formed the group in 1983 with fellow stars Jimmy Somerville and Larry Steinbachek.
The group landed top 10 hits with tracks Smalltown Boy, Why? and a cover of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love.
They released multiple tracks during their time as a group and had a successful stint during their career.
Jimmy, the lead singer of the group, led the way with tributes online as he shared a statement following the news of Steve’s death on Twitter.
(Image: Redferns)
Alongside a snap of the trio from years ago, Jimmy wrote: “Sad to hear Steve Bronski has died. He was a talented and very melodic man.
“Working with him on songs and the one song that changed our lives touched so many other lives, was a fun and exciting time.
“Thanks for the melody Steve. Jimmy x.”
The group first met when Steve and Larry met Jimmy through a documentary titled Framed Youth which was made for an LGBTQ arts festival.
(Image: Getty Images)
Fans praised the track at the time, with Bronski later telling The Guardian in 2018: “At the time we were just three gay guys who started a band. We didn’t feel like part of any particular movement.
“Of course, it would transpire many years later that there were more gay artists than the public were led to believe.”
The group pushed for people to be more aware of the inequalities many members of the LGBTQ+ community faced, with their debut album Age of Consent referring to the difference in the legal ages for sex.
(Image: Redferns)
Years after its debut, Jimmy said: “When you saw it written down, the discrimination was astonishing.”
The group carried on in the 1980s and 1990s, before taking a break and releasing another album in 2017, with Steve as the only founding member.
Steve’s death comes five years after the tragic death of fellow bandmate Larry Steinbachek, who died in December 2016 after a battle with cancer.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
