STYX - PANOZZO REVEALS SECRET GAY LIFE

PANOZZO REVEALS SECRET GAY LIFE

Former STYX bassist CHUCK PANOZZO has written a new autobiography, describing how he kept his homosexuality and AIDS status a secret. The star, who was diagnosed HIV positive in 1981 and contracted full-blown Aids in 1998, hid his sexuality for decades, fearing it would destroy his career. In The Grand Illusion, Panozzo writes, "I was always polite to the groupies. I would autograph whatever they wanted me to sign - bras, underwear, body parts. But as (they) were exposing their breasts... I was more interested in their tight-jeaned boyfriends standing next to them. "My personal life on the road was a series of one-night stands with guys who I didn't even tell my true identity... I was plagued with the fear of being outed. Men of my generation knew that being gay could be a death sentence."