As the frontman of Welsh nu-metal band Lostprophets, Ian Watkins sold millions of albums and commanded arena crowds.
What his fans did not know was that he was, a court has heard, "a determined and committed paedophile".
Ian Watkins was born in 1977 and grew up in Pontypridd, forming his first band, a thrash metal group called Aftermath, in his mid teens.
The rocker studied graphic design at university and started playing music as a drummer before taking the microphone when the singer of one of his bands quit.
Lozt Prophetz formed in 1997. Three years later, with the spelling of their name changed, they recorded their debut album, The Fake Sound of Progress, in a single week on a modest budget.
After being snapped up by Columbia Records and heavyweight manager Peter Mensch, whose company Q Prime looks after Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Muse, the album was re-recorded and re-released.
They soon started making waves in the US, where their second and third albums both reached the Top 40.
They reached their commercial peak in the UK when their third album, Liberation Transmission, went to number one in 2006.
They also had two Top 10 singles - Last Train Home in 2004, and Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast) two years later.
Lostprophets were named best British band at the Kerrang! awards for two years in a row in 2006 and '07, although their polished sound and contrived image meant most critics afforded them little credibility.
Watkins, heavily tattooed with piercings and a goth-black dress sense, led the group as they sold out arena shows and attracted huge festival crowds.
Peddling angst and rebellion, sweetened by anthemic choruses and a punk-meets-skater boy image, Lostprophets attracted many disenfranchised young fans.
Their last album, Weapons, came out in 2012, several months before Watkins was arrested.
We now know that while in the band, the disgraced star conspired with two women to abuse their babies as well as taking advantage of underage female fans.
He has pleaded guilty to a series of "depraved" child sex offences, including attempted rape of a baby.
Det Ch Insp Peter Doyle from South Wales Police said: "This investigation has uncovered the most shocking and harrowing child abuse evidence I have ever seen.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Ian Watkins exploited his celebrity status in order to abuse young children."
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