At the peak of their fame, these former teenage heartthrobs were the puppy loves of millions
of girls around the world, but as they would reveal years later, those romantic feelings
weren't necessarily mutual.
Dust off your old editions of Tiger Beat and J-14 as we take a trip down memory lane.
Ricky Martin
Starting at age 13, Ricky Martin spent more than four years performing with the Puerto
Rican boy band Menudo.
He then became one of the rare crossover success stories when he dominated the U.S. charts
as a solo artist with the 1999 hit, "Livin' La Vida Loca."
Around that time, Martin dodged questions and rumors about his personal life.
Finally, in March 2010, Martin came out as a gay man in an open letter, saying,
"These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance
has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions
I didn't even know existed."
"I felt free, I felt liberated.
I felt… that I could finally say, 'I love myself completely.'"
George Michael
In April 1998, George Michael, formerly one half of the British boy duo Wham!, was forced
to address his personal life publicly after he was arrested for allegedly committing lewd
conduct in the bathroom of a Beverly Hills park.
Days after his arrest, he told CNN,
"I want to say that I have no problem with people knowing that I'm in a relationship
with a man right now.
I have not been in a relationship with a woman for almost 10 years."
Speaking to the BBC in 2014, Michael said that coming out had negative impacts on his
career, revealing,
"The press seemed to take some delight that I previously had a 'straight audience,' and
set about trying to destroy that."
Michael passed away from natural causes at home on Christmas Day 2016.
Jonathan Knight
One of the toughest parts about being closeted in the spotlight is when your secret gets
revealed by another celebrity.
Just ask former New Kids on the Block singer Jonathan Knight, whose secret was accidentally
blurted out by another '80s icon, Tiffany, in a 2001 interview on Watch What Happens
Live.
Asked by host Andy Cohen if she ever dated a New Kids On The Block member, she said,
"The quiet one.
The shy one.
He became gay later."
Knight posted a response in a blog post on the New Kids on the Block website, in which
he wrote:
"I have lived my life very openly and have never hidden the fact that I am gay!…If
there ever has been any confusion about my sexuality, then you are someone that doesn't
even know me!"
He ended the post by saying he didn't feel the need to discuss his private life further.
Lance Bass
Although he briefly dated and even took Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel to her senior
prom, 'N Sync member Lance Bass came out publicly in an exclusive People magazine cover story
in 2006.
He told the magazine,
"I'm not ashamed—that's the one thing I want to say.
I don't think it's wrong, I'm not devastated going through this.
I'm more liberated and happy than I've been my whole life.
I'm just happy."
As for why he stayed quiet so long, Bass worried the boy band would fall apart if he came out.
He explained,
"I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys' careers in my hand,
and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said (that I was gay), it would overpower
everything."
Bass married boyfriend Michael Turchin in 2014.
"I love doing music, I love being an entertainer, but what gave me the reason to keep going
was knowing that I could affect people's lives in a positive way."
Neil Patrick Harris
A few months after Bass came out, former Doogie Howser, M.D. star Neil Patrick Harris followed
suit by finally addressing rampant rumors about his private life.
At the time, he was playing the wildly popular role of playboy Barney Stinson in the hit
CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother.
He told People magazine,
"I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very
content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with
wonderful people in the business I love."
'It allowed me to live more full-body and not feel like I was going to be exposed"
In 2014, Harris married actor David Burtka after 10 years of dating.
They have two children.
Stephen Gately
Although they never made it big in the United States, Irish boy band Boyzone was adored
by millions of fans in the U.K.
Among its members was Stephen Gately, who in 1999, at age 23, told the British tabloid
The Sun,
"I think the time has come to be honest and tell everyone that I am gay.
I owe it to all Boyzone fans.
I'm not ashamed of coming out like this, my family and friends have known for a long time."
About 10 years after his announcement, The Telegraph reported that 33-year old Gately
tragically passed away in his sleep next to his husband.
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