*NSYNC receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

HOLLYWOOD (FOX 11 / CNS) - Chart-topping boy band *NSYNC received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame todayMonday in front of thousands of fans who began lining up early to catch a glimpse of the group that catapulted Justin Timberlake to fame.

"For all of you who came from far and wide to be here to share this moment with us, thank you so much, this really means the world to all of us,'' Timberlake told the screaming crowd.

Timberlake, who was one of the band's lead vocalists, was joined by bandmates Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick. Talk show hosts Ellen DeGeneres and Carson Daly also took part in the ceremony.

The group's star is near those of fellow boy bands Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men, New Kids on the Block and New Edition.

"We're brothers, we're family, and out of all this, the music, the tours, the love from the fans -- it's my brotherhood with you guys that I'm most thankful for,'' Bass told his bandmates during the ceremony.

While thanking the crowd and his bandmates, Fatone took the opportunity to joke about Timberlake's comparative superstardom compared to the rest of the group, saying, "You can also see me performing at Chuck E. Cheese next week.''

The ceremony was held one day after Timberlake performed the second of two weekend concerts at the Forum. It also coincided with the brief run of the "*NSYNC Dirty PopUp'' merchandise shop that attracted lines of thousands of fans over the weekend at the Hollywood & Highland center. The shop, which opened Saturday, is set to close Tuesday.

The band's star is the 2,636th on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

*NSYNC has sold more than 30 million records in the United States and 42 million more in the rest of the world. A dozen of its singles made either the Top 40, adult contemporary, dance, Latin, country or rhythm and blues charts.

The group also had record sales for its concert tours, with the first 52 dates of its worldwide "No Strings Attached'' arena tour selling out in record time.

*NSYNC's first single, "I Want You Back,'' released in 1996, set records for fastest single by a new act reaching the charts, one week; the longest Top 10 stay for a new group, eight weeks; and the fastest newcomer to hit the Top 10, three weeks.

The group's self-titled debut album, released in 1997, sold more than 10 million copies in the United States, reaching No. 2 in the domestic charts, first on the German charts and second in Austria.

*NSYNC's second album, "No Strings Attached,'' released in 2000, reached the top of the charts in the United States and Germany.

Its most recent album, "Celebrity,'' released in 2001, was also first in the United States and Germany.

*NSYNC's other memorable singles include "Bye Bye Bye,'' "This I Promise You,'' "Girlfriend'' and "It's Gonna Be Me.''

*NSYNC went on what it described as a hiatus in 2002. The group has reunited only once since, performing at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.

The group's name stemmed from a comment by Timberlake's mother on how "in sync'' the group's singing voices were. The name is also a play on the last letter of each of the initial member's names, which included bass singer Jason Galasso, who dropped out just before it signed with Trans Continental Records.