Steve Bronski, a founding member of the Bronski Beat, died on Thursday at the age of 61, his former bandmate Jimmy Somerville revealed in an emotional Instagram post. Bronski's death, whose cause was unknown at the time of publishing, comes after the loss of bandmate Steinbachek, who died of cancer in 2016 at the age of 56. Somerville captioned the post with 'Sad to hear Steve has died. He was a talented and a very melodic man. Working with him on songs and the one song that changed our lives and touched so many other lives, was a 'fun and exciting time.'


When Bronski co-founded the eighties synth pop quartet with Somerville and Larry Steinbachek in 1983, the Scottish musician, born Steve Forrest in Glasgow, was dubbed a homosexual icon. During the early years of the decade, the prestigious trio would have a streak of top 40 singles, including a rendition of Donna Summer's disco classic "I Feel Love' and 'Smalltown Boy."

Bronski, who was born Steven Forrest and grew up on the Castlemilk estate, worked as a laborer and stage hand before traveling south and playing bass in a Country and Western band. Bronski and Steinbachek met Somerville while making a documentary for an LGBTQ arts event called Framed Youth - Revenge of the Teenage Perverts.

After only nine shows, the band acquired a recording contract and went on to have multiple top ten songs in the UK. Smalltown Boy, their debut hit, was a game-changer for many fans who identified with the tale of a young homosexual guy fleeing his hometown for the freedom of the big city. Somerville was chased by a homophobic group, hauled home by the police, and thrown out by his parents before boarding a train to start a new life, according to the video.Bronski Beat was one of the few bands of the time to advocate for homosexual rights, and their debut album, "The Age Of Consent," listed the ages of consent for gay intercourse in nations all around the world.

In the UK, the legal age for gay sex was 21 at the time. Bronski Beat continued after Somerville quit the group in 1995 to create The Communards with Richard Coles, hitting the top 10 with Hit That Perfect Beat in November 1985. The band continued in the 1980s and 1990s, and in 2017, Bronski, the lone founding member, launched their first new album in 22 years.