Among those to find an early footing on the Baths stage were Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, Melissa Manchester, Ellen Greene, Labelle, The Manhattan Transfer, Jane Olivor, Melba Moore, Liz Torres, Wayland Flowers, Nell Carter and Peter Allen. Midler, in particular, became synonymous with the Baths, debuting her song Friends at the venue and later recording the Bathhouse Betty album.

Live performances, open to the public, presented diverse talents and genres. The gay crowd dwindled due to discomfort with the public presence; Ostrow agonised over this, cancelling live performances in 1974 and ultimately closing the Baths in 1976.

Ostrow continued as a performer, performing in operas around the world for major companies, including the New York City Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the Stuttgart Opera and the Australian Opera.

A passionate vocalist and teacher, he moved to Australia in the 1980s. As director of the Sydney Academy of Vocal Arts, he taught countless young Australian performers and continued working with students until he was nearly 90.

He appeared in films such as Superman Returns in 2006 and, on Australian TV, on A Country Practice and commercials.

In the 1990, he founded the MAG (Mature Age Gay) group, which provided support and care for older men who had faced stigma and were grieving the loss of their partners after the AIDS epidemic.

MAG continues to meet regularly providing support for its members. His published books include an autobiographical account of his time at The Continental Baths.

On the back cover of Saturday Night at the Baths, he wrote: “The Continental was a phenomenon that came out of a pre-AIDS world that we will probably never experience again. But more than being just a bathhouse and show-place, the Baths were a place where people came out of their closets and found out who they were.

“It was the first gay establishment to treat gay people as equals and not exploit them. It was instrumental in having the laws against homosexuality rescinded and gave birth along with Stonewall, to a whole generation where gay was in. Beyond that it ushered in an era of sexual liberation and alternative lifestyles that, to this day, has never been equalled.”

“I will also try to explore and share the confusion and frustrations I have felt as a bisexual, not understood by the gay or the straight world.”

In 2022, Ostrow was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for services to the Community, in the General Division of the Order of Australia. He is survived by his two children and grandchildren in the United States.

Film director Aron Cantors writing on his Instagram page said: “Today we lost a trail blazer. You may not have heard of him. But I’m working on changing that.

“The Continental Baths ... treated its clientele with integrity and kindness at a time that wasn’t the norm. Steve worked hard to foster community and give gay men a place to be openly themselves without fear of arrest; for years Steve would pay off the police to prevent the raids which were commonplace at other bathhouses.

“When Steve installed a dancefloor (unheard of in a bathhouse at the time), he gave Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles (who had shown up as teenage customers to the Baths) their first regular DJ gigs playing to men in towels.

“Steve was also a friend, and since 2016 he has entrusted me to bring his story to the screen, which we’ve worked diligently on throughout the ensuing years. I’m forever grateful to him for his trust and friendship, and for making me laugh (he loved dumb jokes and we often traded them in emails.)

“In 2016...I was lucky enough to spend time with him in Sydney, Australia, where he lived the last decades of his life and founded a community organisation for elderly gay people (MAG - Mature And Gay). He was a tremendous character, wily and fearless and funny and cheeky, with a life philosophy that all the world’s problems can be solved with love … May his legacy live on.”

Steve Allen Ostrow was born in Brooklyn, New York to Russian Jewish parents on the September 16, 1932. He worked from a young age to support his mother after his father died early.

He gravitated towards artistic pursuits as his talent for singing led him to perform as a cantor in his local synagogue. He married American opera singer Joanne King, and had two children, Scott and Maria, then continued his business and artistic ventures.

Mary Cockcroft met Ostrow when he lived in Elizabeth Bay in Sydney. “I decided to learn to sing and Steve was recommended to me, as a brilliant but strict teacher, who would use unconventional techniques to bring the best out of his students, even including a budgie who would give approval on student’s performance,” she recalled.

“We clicked from the first time we met. On my first lesson much to my horror, I realised I had forgotten my bag which had my money to pay him for the class. Much to my relief, he laughed it off and said ‘next time’.

“Steve was old school charm, with the most beautiful voice I had ever heard. He was very endearing and in his New York accent he would always affectionately call his friends baby, pussycat, or peanut.

“A great listener, a man that you couldn’t shock, as he’d seen and done it all. Tall and handsome with bouffant hair, he had a presence about him which drew in people. One of the most beautiful moments we shared was when we spontaneously sang a verse of Caro Mio Ben at a Saturday night MAG meeting.

“I had always been told that you’ll never have friends like you did when you were 12, so meeting Steve in my 50s was a true gift.”

Mary-Elizabeth Cockcroft, Toby Usnik, Tim Barlass