Frankie Goes to Hollywood frontman Holly Johnson 'cancelled’ after revealing HIV diagnosis

Speaking to the BBC, he said: “The gay thing was a bit isolating in the music industry. There were a lot of other gay singers, and they’d all been advised to stay in the closet. It was considered dangerous, and it did affect the band’s profile in middle America.”

Johnson explained that after publicly sharing his HIV status, he felt abandoned by many in the industry. “It was a bit like living in a desert for about 10 years,” he said, adding, “I was sort of cancelled by the music industry.” Though he found some support from the gay community, he noted that jobs were scarce during that period.

He made these remarks ahead of the opening of The Holly Johnson Story exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool, which celebrates his life, his rise to fame, and his pioneering role as one of the first openly gay and HIV-positive artists.

Reflecting on the early days of his career, Johnson said: “It was an amazing period but it was a lot of hard work. It wasn’t as glamorous as your dreams of pop music fame… they worked you to death back in those days."

The exhibition, which marks the 40th anniversary of Welcome to the Pleasuredome, will feature memorabilia from Johnson’s career, including items from his personal archive, paintings, and personal accounts from others living with HIV.

The exhibition is part of a project that has documented LGBTQ+ heritage by working with sexual health and wellness charity Sahir to explore Johnson's archive and capture the stories of local LGBTQ+ people in community workshops and history sessions.

Johnson added: "The opportunity to mount this exhibition is actually like winning the National Lottery for me. Everything I was ever drawn to, through a lens of queerness and controversy, I brought with me into the future we live in now.”

The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday (September 14).