Andy Bell

Hickey died on 11 April 2012 at the age of 62. In January 2013, Bell married his subsequent partner Stephen Moss.

In June 2011, he appeared on the second season of ITV series Popstar to Operastar and finished in fifth place.

Bell released his second solo album, Non-Stop, on 7 June 2010. It was co-written and co-produced by Bell and Pascal Gabriel, who previously remixed "It Doesn't Have to Be" for Erasure. It also features a collaboration with Perry Farrell.

Using the pseudonym Mimó, Bell released two Pascal Gabriel-produced singles on Mute Records: "Running Out" (2009) and "Will You Be There?" (2010) prior to his second solo album. The name, used as a "tribute to good friend Tomeau Mimó”, was not used on any subsequent solo releases, as a legal block was issued against Bell by another artist already using the Mimó name. Both songs appear on Non-Stop and have since been re-branded as Andy Bell.

There are definitely HIV-positive people who meet other HIV-positive men, and like still having unprotected sex. I think it must be quite hard for young gay men because there is so much for them now to do — there are so many saunas and stuff like that for them to go to, and it's so easy to get it."

Bell's first solo album was announced in July 2005. He signed a worldwide solo recording contract with Sanctuary Records, and announced details of his debut album, which was released on 3 October 2005 and entitled Electric Blue. The album featured fourteen tracks, including three duets, with Claudia Brücken of Propaganda and Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters.

The first single, "Crazy", released on 26 September 2005, included club remixes from his Erasure partner Vince Clarke, plus Cicada, MHC and King Roc. Electric Blue was co-written and recorded throughout 2004 and 2005 with Manhattan Clique (Philip Larsen and Chris Smith) who have worked with Erasure, Moby, the B-52s, Stereophonics and Goldfrapp.

On 17 December 2004, Bell publicly announced that he has been HIV-positive since 1998. In a 2007 interview, he remarked that there is a complacency among gay men about HIV:

Bell sang the role of Montresor in the opera The Fall of the House of Usher by Peter Hammill and Judge Smith, released in 1991 and reissued with a new recording in 1999.

Bell has also donated time and made recordings for charities. These included Ferry Aid's cover of "Let It Be" (1987); a cover of Cole Porter's "Too Darn Hot", that was included in 1990s Red Hot + Blue album to raise funds for AIDS and HIV research; re-making Lene Lovich's "Rage" alongside her to be included in PETA's album (1991) in favour of a wildlife campaign; and performing twice on Big Spender's Red Hot and Dance events to support various AIDS projects (in both December 1994 and November 2004). Bell also performed on the True Colours Tour 2008.

In 1985, while selling women's shoes and performing in a band called the Void, he responded to a newspaper advert that was looking for a singer. Vince Clarke had been Bell's "hero"; Bell was successful in his audition and together they formed the group Erasure. The pair have sold over 25 million albums worldwide.

Andrew Ivan Bell (born 25 April 1964) is the lead singer of the English synth-pop duo Erasure. The duo is most popular in their native UK and mainland Europe (especially Germany, Denmark, and Sweden) and also in South America (especially Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru). The band is also popular within the LGBT community, for whom the openly gay Bell has become an icon. Erasure have penned over 200 songs and have sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Bell is known for his soulful voice and flamboyant stage persona which contrasts with bandmate Vince Clarke's low key and deadpan demeanour.