English singer-songwriter and artist Holly Johnson was BOTD in 1960. Born William Johnson in Liverpool, he adopted the name Holly as a teenager, in tribute to Warhol star Holly Woodlawn. After playing in New Wave bands in Liverpool, he joined pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood in 1982. Their 1984 debut album Welcome to the Pleasuredome became an international success, launching Johnson and his bandmates to celebrity, and spawning three No 1 hit singles. The song Relax caused a scandal for its homoerotic lyrics (Relax, don’t do it/ When you want to come) and a sexually explicit music video set in a gay leather bar, prompting the BBC to ban it from radio and TV broadcasts (handily increasing its popularity). Two Tribes also reached No 1 on the UK charts, and received the 1984 Ivor Novello Award for songwriting. The Power of Love, a sweeping New Romantic anthem, was accompanied by a music video featuring the Nativity of Jesus, making it the year’s most unlikely Christmas song. After a nearly two-year absence, they released their second album Liverpool in 1986, to mixed reviews and sales. Johnson left the group in 1987, followed by a two-year legal battle after his record company attempted to prevent him from signing with another record label. The court found in Johnson’s favour, becoming a landmark decision for restraint of trade clauses in recording contracts. He released his first solo album, Blast, in 1989, featuring hit singles Love Train, Americanos and Atomic City. In 1991, Johnson was diagnosed HIV+, at the time considered a death sentence, and bravely disclosed his condition in a 1993 interview. His memoir A Bone in My Flute, published in 1994 and in anticipation of his death, discussed his early struggles with and acceptance of his sexuality. His single Legendary Children (All of Them Queer), released in the same year, referenced famous LGBT people from history. Happily he survived, transitioning into a second career as a painter, with occasional musical appearances. In 2014, he released the album Europa and undertook his first solo tour. He has been in a relationship with Wolfgang Kuhle since the early 1980s. A film biopic of his life and career is currently in development, with It’s A Sin star Callum Scott Howells set to star as Johnson.