Stephen Forrest, aka Steve Bronski, died. The information was provided publicly by a source close to Bronski Beat, a band he formed in 1983 with Larry Steinbachek and Jimmy Somerville in London, England. Born February 7, 1960 in Scotland, he was 61 years old. “He was a talented man and very melodic,” praised the former lead singer of The Communards in a post on the social network.
Because his family never accepted his homosexuality, Stephen Forrest, who grew up in Castlemilke, near Glasgow, left home in his late teens. Before forming Bronski Beat with Larry Steinbachek and Jimmy Somerville, he worked as stage assistant, factory worker and stock controller at the luxury Harrods department store in London. At the time, to make ends meet, the three shared an apartment in Brixton.
“Smalltown boy”, the group’s first single, peaked at number three on the charts, opening the door for their first album, “The age of accept”. In 1985, tensions in the group forced Jimmy Somerville to abandon the project. Over the next several decades, Steve Bronski worked with artists such as Jane County, Darryl Pandy and Strawberry Switchblade before moving to Thailand, where he spent long seasons. The cause of death was not disclosed.
