For some, it was akin to The Beatles disbanding: on this day in 1987, after five years and four studio albums, British alt-punk band The Smiths were breaking up and Morrissey, the dreamy-eyed lead singer, was going solo. Morrissey's first album, Viva Hate, came out in 1988, and was followed by eights others, including 2009's Years of Refusal.
Then as now, Morrissey remains the band's most famous face, and the most controversial: he's never come out of the closet, nor has he ever given explicit details of his private life, but most people assume that this charming man, also known for his mercurial and often dramatic personality, is one of the boys.
In honor of this notable day in musical and gay -- or at least queer -- history, here are two videos from The Smiths -- their first, "How Soon Is Now" and their last, "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" -- and two from Morrissey himself, his first, "Suedehead," and one from 1992, for the song "You're The One For Me, Fatty." (Note: Footage from "Stop Me" was later used for two other The Smiths videos, "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" and "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.")
