The Bronski Beat keyboardist Larry Steinbachek has died aged 56 after battling cancer.
The musician Larry Steinbachek died last month according to his sister, who told the BBC that he passed after a battle with cancer. Bronski Beat was formed in 1983 and the lineup included Jimmy Somerville and Steve Bronski.
Larry was just 56, friends and family were at his bedside when he passed away.
One of the band’s biggest hits, “Smalltown Boy” focused on key issues faced by the gay community in the 1980s and featured on the album Age Of Consent, which highlighted the inequality facing same-sex relationships at the time. Whilst most European countries allowed sexual relationships between gay people at 16-years-old, the UK’s government resisted leaving the age of consent at 21, despite the age of consent for heterosexuals being set at 16-years-old.
The song reached a peak of number 3 in the UK.
The song was co-written by Larry Steinbachek.
Marc Almond was one of the first stars to Tweet about the musician’s death saying he was “sad” to hear of Larry’s passing and that he enjoyed working with Bronski Beat back in the 1980s. The collaboration on “I Feel Love” was a top ten hit.
Very sad to hear of the young death of Larry Steinbachek. Enjoyed working with Bronski back in the 80's and having a big hit with them
— Marc Almond (@MarcAlmond) January 13, 2017
Larry’s bandmate, Jimmy Somerville also paid tribute by saying that they were “young, brave and determined”.
https://twitter.com/JimmySomerville/status/819887297147666432
