After Cancer Battle, Bronski Beat Keyboardist Larry Steinbachek Dead at 56

Larry Steinbachek, former keyboardist for the British '80s synthopop band Bronski Beat, has died, the BBC reports. He was 56.

Steinbachek was a founding member of the band, along with Jimmy Somerville and Steve Bronski, who put the group together in 1983. The trio had major hits and created gay anthems in throughout the '80s, most notably with the chart-topping hit "Smalltown Boy."

The musician's sister Louise Jones told the BBC he died last month after a short battle with cancer. His friends and family were by his bedside.

Steinbachek, who was openly gay, as were his bandmates, became known for raising awareness about gay rights. "Smalltown Boy," which peaked at No. 3 in the U.K. and No. 1 on the U.S.'s Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, was about the struggles of growing up gay in a small town. It became a huge gay anthem throughout the '80s.

The inner sleeve of Bronski Beat's debut album, "The Age of Consent," listed the international ages of consent for males to engage in gay sex.

The BBC notes after Somerville left Bronski Beat in 1985, Steinbachek and Brosnki continued the group. In 1994, Steinbachek moved to Amsterdam where he continued to make music and work on stage musicals.

Revisit "Smalltown Boy" below.