freddie mercury official biography

Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury is one of the rock world’s most versatile and engaging performers as the lead singer of Queen. He is best known for his mock operatic masterpiece, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which was also the title of a 2018 biopic on the performer’s life.

Who Was Freddie Mercury?

Freddie Mercury was a singer-songwriter and musician whose music reached the top of U.S. and British charts in the 1970s and 1980s. As the frontman of Queen, Mercury was one of the most talented and innovative singers of the rock era. Born Farrokh Bulsara in Tanzania, Mercury studied piano in boarding school in India, then befriended numerous musicians at London's Ealing College of Art. Mercury died of AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia on November 24, 1991, at age 45.

Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946, in Zanzibar. Mercury's parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, were Parsees, or followers of the Zoroastrian religion whose ancestors came from Persia. After Bomi and Jer married, they moved to Zanzibar, Tanzania, where Bomi worked as a cashier for the British government's High Court. The family lived a fairly affluent life, with a nanny and other domestic workers. Mercury's sister, Kashmira, was born in 1952.

At the age of 8, Mercury's parents sent him to a boarding school in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, where he studied piano and spent his free time with his aunt and grandparents. It was not long before the charismatic young man joined his first band, the Hectics. In 1963, Mercury returned to Zanzibar.

Following a bloody revolution on the islands in 1964, the family fled to London. Mercury attended the Ealing College of Art and befriended a number of musicians.

In 1969, Mercury joined a group called Ibex as their lead singer. He played with a few other bands before joining forces with his future Queen bandmates.

Teeth and Vocal Range

Mercury was born with four extra teeth in the back of his mouth, causing his now-famous bucktooth grin. In fact, his nickname growing up was Bucky.

Mercury never got his teeth fixed because he was afraid it would ruin his impressive four-octave vocal range.

READ MORE: Freddie Mercury Was Part of Brian May and Roger Taylor's Entourage Before Forming Queen

In 1973, Queen released their first album, titled Queen . They quickly followed up with their second album, Queen II , in 1974, which they recorded in over just one month. The album was the first taste of the group's signature harmonies and music styles, including ballads, folk, blues, metal, pop and rock, and included the single "Seven Seas of Rhye."

Queen's music, however, really only caught on with their third record, Sheer Heart Attack, also released in 1974.

With a sound that has been described as a fusion of hard rock and glam rock, Queen had an even bigger hit the following year with their fourth album, A Night at the Opera (1975).

Queen's popularity continued to soar through the late 70s and early 80s with A Day at the Races (1976), News of the World (1978) and The Game (1980). After The Works (1984), the group's ability to sell albums began to wane, although Queen continued to draw huge crowds as a live act around the world.

In addition to his talents as a singer and songwriter, Mercury was a skilled showman. He knew how to entertain audiences and how to connect with them. He liked to wear costumes — often featuring skintight spandex — and strutted around the stage, encouraging fans to join in the fun. Artistic in nature, Mercury was also actively involved in designing the art for many of the group's albums.

Mercury also lived a lavish lifestyle. He loved champagne and liked to collect art, once spending more than $400,000 on a set of hand-painted china. Always one for a party, Mercury threw himself elaborate celebrations; for one particular birthday, he flew a group of friends to the island of Ibiza. The occasion was marked by fireworks and flamenco dancing.

By 1989, Mercury largely retreated from public life. He did not promote or tour for Queen's next album, Innuendo (1991), and rumors about possible health problems began to circulate.

Before his death, Mercury worked in the studio with Queen. These efforts were released in 1995 on Made In Heaven , the group's last album with all the original members. Gone but clearly not forgotten, this collection of Mercury's final performances reached the top of the British charts.

Mercury and Queen were recognized for their contributions to American music history when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

Songs by Freddie Mercury and Queen

'killer queen'.

Queen's third album, Sheer Heart Attack, featured their first hit, "Killer Queen," a song about a high-class call girl. The 1974 single hit No. 2 on the U.K. charts, and peaked at No. 12 in the U.S. Unlike most of his other music, Mercury wrote the lyrics before the music.

'Bohemian Rhapsody'

Mercury wrote the song "Bohemian Rhapsody," a seven-minute rock operetta for the 1975 album, A Night at the Opera . Overdubbing his voice, Mercury showed off his four-octave vocal range on this innovative track. The song hit the top of the charts in Britain and became a Top 10 hit in the United States.

'We Are the Champions' and 'We Will Rock You'

The 1978 hit "We Are the Champions," off of the album News of the World , became a Top 10 song in the United States and in Britain. It was featured on a single with "We Will Rock You." Both songs have taken on a life of their own as popular anthems played at sporting events.

'Another One Bites the Dust'

Always exploring new and different sounds, Queen tried their hand at the big music trend of the time with the disco-flavored "Another One Bites the Dust," from their 1980 album The Game .

'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'

Also on of The Game , Mercury and the rest of the band showed their range as performers with the rockabilly-influenced 1980 hit "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," which Mercury penned.

'Under Pressure' with David Bowie

In 1981, Queen collaborated with David Bowie to create "Under Pressure." A No. 1 hit in Britain, the song's distinctive bass line was later reportedly used by Vanilla Ice for his 1990 rap hit "Ice, Ice Baby."

READ MORE: Inside David Bowie and Queen’s 'Tense' Recording Session for "Under Pressure"

'Radio Ga Ga'

Although Queen's popularity began to wane in the mid-1980s, the group had a minor hit in 1984 with "Radio Ga Ga." Pop musician Lady Gaga took inspiration for her stage name from the song.

Solo Career

In addition to his work with Queen, Mercury released several solo albums, including 1985's Mr. Bad Guy . He also collaborated with opera singer Montserrat Caballé for 1988's Barcelona .

Live Aid Performance

One of Queen's most notable performances was in 1985 at the Live Aid charity concert. Simply dressed in a tank top and jeans, Mercury led the crowd through some of the band's greatest hits with great energy and style. He got the thousands of music fans at London's Wembley Stadium to chant along to "We Will Rock You."

For many who watched the event live or on television, Queen gave one of the top performances of the day-long event, which was organized by singer and activist Bob Geldof and songwriter Midge Ure to raise money for victims of famine in Africa. Inspired by the event, the band wrote the hit "One Vision."

Fiancé Mary Austin

Offstage, Mercury was open about his bisexuality , but he kept his relationships private. He was engaged to Mary Austin and had a seven-year relationship with Jim Hutton until his untimely death.

Austin met Mercury in 1969 when she was a 19-year-old music store employee and he was a 24-year-old on the cusp of stardom. They quickly began dating; Mercury wrote the ballad “Love of My Life" for Austin.

In 1973 Mercury proposed; the wedding was called off when he revealed to her that he was bisexual. The pair remained close, and Austin tended to Mercury after his AIDS diagnosis. Mercury entrusted most of his estate and his London mansion, Garden Lodge, to Austin, who later married and had two kids.

“All my lovers asked me why they couldn’t replace Mary, but it’s simply impossible,” Mercury said in a 1985 interview . “The only friend I’ve got is Mary, and I don’t want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that’s enough for me.”

READ MORE: Meet Mary Austin, the Woman Who Stole Freddie Mercury's Heart

Boyfriend Jim Hutton

Mercury met Hutton , an Irish hairdresser, in the 1980s at a gay nightclub in London. Mercury offered to buy Hutton a drink; Hutton didn't recognize the superstar and turned him down.

The pair reconnected a year and a half later at another night club. This time they began dating, and Hutton moved in with Mercury less than a year later. Although Mercury never came out, the couple stayed together until Mercury died of AIDS in 1991.

After Mercury's death, Austin reportedly kicked Hutton out of Garden Lodge. Hutton later wrote a book about his relationship with the singer, Mercury and Me. He died of cancer in 2010 at the age of 60.

READ MORE: The Complicated Nature of Freddie Mercury's Sexuality

Mercury died from AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia at his London mansion on November 24, 1991. He was 45 years old.

The day before his death, on November 23, 1991, Mercury released a statement: "I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV-positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private to date to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease."

Longtime friend and bandmate Roger Taylor provided some insight to Mercury's decision to keep his battle with AIDS private. "He didn't want to be looked at as an object of pity and curiosity, and he didn't want circling vultures over his head," Taylor said, according to a report in Entertainment Weekly . The rock world mourned the loss of one of its most versatile and engaging performers.

To honor his memory, the Freddie Mercury Tribute: Concert for AIDS Awareness was held in April 1992 at Wembley Stadium. A diverse range of rock acts — from Def Leppard to Elton John — performed to celebrate Mercury and advance the fight against the disease that took his life. That same year, Mercury's mock operatic masterpiece, "Bohemian Rhapsody," appeared in the movie Wayne's World and made a return to the Billboard 100 pop charts, illustrating its timeless appeal.

Bohemian Rhapsody Movie

Released in 2018, the movie Bohemian Rhapsody , starring Mr. Robot 's Rami Malek as Mercury, follows the rise of Queen leading up to their legendary Live Aid performance in 1985.

Following the movie's release, Queen's music saw a resurgence in popularity decades after their last studio album. The group's song "Bohemian Rhapsody" shot from 87th place globally on Spotify the day before the movie's release to 15th one week later, and it hit the Billboard 100 for a third time.

QUICK FACTS

• Birth date: September 5, 1946
• Birth City: Zanzibar
• Birth Country: Tanzania
• Astrological Sign: Virgo
• Ealing College of Art
• Death date: November 24, 1991
• Death City: London, England

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Freddie Mercury

• Born September 5 , 1946 · Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania
• Died November 24 , 1991 · Kensington, London, England, UK (bronchopneumonia)
• Birth name Farrokh Bomi Bulsara
• Height 5′ 9¾″ (1.77 m)
• Freddie Mercury was born on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar. His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, sent him off to a private school in India, from 1955 til 1963. In 1964, he and his family flew to England. In 1966 he started his education at the Ealing College of Art, where he graduated in 1969. He loved art, and because of that, he often went along with his friend Tim Staffell, who played in a band called Smile. Also in this band where Brian May and Roger Taylor . When Staffell left the band in 1970, Mercury became their new singer. He changed the band's name into Queen , and they took on a new bass-player in February 1971, called John Deacon . Their first album, "Queen", came out in 1973. But their real breakthrough was "Killer Queen", on the album "Sheer Heart Attack", which was released in 1974. They became immortal with the single "Bohemian Rhapsody", on the 1975 album "A Night At The Opera". After their biggest hit in the USA in 1980 with "Another One Bites The Dust", they had a bad period. Their album "Flash Gordon" went down the drain, because the movie Flash Gordon (1980) flunked. Their next, the disco-oriented "Hot Space", was hated not only by rock critics but also by many hardcore fans. Only the song "Under Pressure", which they sang together with David Bowie , made a difference. In 1983, they took a year off. But, in 1984 they came back with their new album called "The Works". The singles "Radio Ga Ga" and "I Want to Break Free" did very well in the UK but a controversy over the video of the latter in the USA meant it got little exposure and flopped. Plans to tour the USA were cancelled and the band would not recover their popularity there during Mercury's lifetime. In April 1985, Mercury released his first solo album, the less rock-oriented and more dance-oriented "Mr. Bad Guy". The album is often considered now to have been a flop, but it actually wasn't. It peaked at number six in the UK and stayed on the chart for 23 weeks, making it the most successful Queen solo project. The band got back together again after their barnstorming performance at Live Aid (1985) in July 1985. At the end of the year, they started working on their new album, "A Kind Of Magic". They also held their biggest ever world tour, the "Magic Tour". They played Wembley Stadium twice and held their very last concert in Knebworth, in front of 125.000 people. After 1986, it went silent around Queen. In 1987, he was diagnosed with AIDS but he kept working at a pace. He released a cover of the 1950s song "The Great Pretender", which went into the UK top ten. After that, he flew to Spain, where he made the magnificent album "Barcelona", together with Montserrat Caballé , whom he saw performing in 1983. Because Mercury loved opera, he became a huge fan of her. For him, this album was like a dream becoming reality. The single "Barcelona" went huge, and was also used as a theme song for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. After "Barcelona", he started working with the band again. They made "The Miracle", which was released in early 1989. It was another success, with hits such as "Breakthru", "I Want It All", "The Invisible Man" and the title track. At this point, Mercury told the band he had AIDS, meaning that a tour of the album was out of the question. After Mercury told the band, he refused to talk about it anymore. He was afraid that people would buy their records out of pity. He said he wanted to keep making music as long as possible. And he did. After "The Miracle", Mercury's health got worse. They wanted to do one more album, called "Innuendo." They worked on it in 1990 and early 1991. Every time when Mercury would feel well, he came over to the studio and sang. After "Innuendo" was released in January 1991, they made two video clips. The first one was the video clip of "I'm Going Slightly Mad", shot in March 1991. Because Mercury was very thin, and had little wounds all over his body, they used a lot of make-up. He wore a wig, and the clip was shot in black and white. Mercury's final video clip was released in June 1991. The clip, "These Are The Days Of Our Lives", later turned out to be his goodbye song, the last time he appeared on film. You could clearly see he was ill, but he still hadn't told the world about his disease. Rumours went around that he some kind of terrible disease. This rumor was confirmed by Mercury himself, one day before he passed on. His death was seen as a great loss for the world of popular music. - IMDb Mini Biography By: [email protected]
• Children No Children
• Parents Jer Bulsara Bomi Bulsara
• Relatives Kashmira Cooke (Sibling) Kashmira Cooke (Sibling)
• Sings with the top half of microphone stand
• Loved to do a vocal duet with the crowd, especially before "Under Pressure"
• Placing microphone under his belt
• Wide-ranging, multi-octave, powerful pseudo-operatic vocals
• He used a piano as a headboard for his bed and taught himself to play the piano backwards so if a song idea popped into his head when lying in bed, he could reach backwards and play it or record it.
• He had a vocal range of 4 octaves.
• Queen 's performance at Live Aid (1985) was voted the "World's Greatest Concert" in a 2005 poll for Channel 4 in the U.K. The historic gig fought off competition from Jimi Hendrix 's 1969 Woodstock show in second place and Sex Pistols ' raucous show at the Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1976.
• He wrote the Queen song "Love of my Life" about Mary Austin .
• He penned the hits "Killer Queen", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Somebody To Love", and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". He wrote "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" in the bathtub.
• If I didn't do this well, I just wouldn't have anything to do...I can't cook, and I'd be a terrible housewife.
• I'm just a musical prostitute my dear
• The bigger the better; in everything.
• Years ago, I thought up the name Queen...It's just a name, but it's very regal obviously, and it sounds splendid...It's a strong name, very universal and immediate. It had a lot of visual potential and was open to all sorts of interpretations. I was certainly aware of the gay connotations, but that was just one facet of it.
• [speaking in 1974] I am as gay as a daffodil.

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Farokh "Freddie" Mercury ( September 5, 1946 - November 24, 1991) was one of the most acclaimed rock vocalists of all time with the rock group Queen . He also wrote some of the group's biggest hits. He was one of the highest profile victims of the AIDS epidemic.

Freddie Mercury was born Farokh Bulsara on the island of Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania, when it was a British protectorate. His parents were Parsis from India and, along with his extended family, were adherents of the Zoroastrian religion.

Mercury spent much of his childhood in India and began learning to play the piano at age seven. When he was eight years old, he was sent to a British boarding school near Bombay (now Mumbai). When he was twelve years old, Freddie formed his first band, The Hectics. They covered rock and roll songs by artists like Cliff Richard and Chuck Berry .

Following the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution in which many ethnic Arabs and Indians were killed, Freddie's family fled to England. There he entered art college and began a serious pursuit of his musical interests.

Personal Life

Freddie Mercury kept his personal life out of the public spotlight during his lifetime. Many of the details about his relationships emerged after his death. In the early 1970s, he began arguably the most important and enduring relationship of his life. He met Mary Austin and they lived together as a romantic couple until December 1976 when Mercury told her about his attraction to and relationships with men. He moved out, bought Mary Austin her own home, and they remained very close friends for the rest of his life. Of her, he told People magazine, "To me, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that's enough for me."

Freddie Mercury never mentioned his sexual orientation when he rarely spoke to the press, but many associates believed it was far from hidden. His performances were very flamboyant on stage, but he was known as an introvert when not performing.

In 1985, Mercury began a long-term relationship with hairdresser Jim Hutton. They lived together for the last six years of Freddie Mercury's life and Hutton tested positive for HIV a year before the star's death. He was at Freddie's bedside when he died. Jim Hutton lived on until 2010.

Career With Queen

In April 1970, Freddie Bulsara officially became Freddie Mercury. He began performing music with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor who were previously in a band named Smile. The next year, bass player John Deacon joined them and Mercury chose the name Queen for the new band against the reservations of his fellow band members and management. He also designed for the group, which incorporated symbols for the zodiac signs of all four group members into a crest.

In 1973 Queen signed a recording contract with EMI Records. They released their self-titled first album in July, and it was heavily influenced by the heavy metal of Led Zeppelin and progressive rock by groups like Yes . The album was well-received by critics, broke into album charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and was eventually certified gold for sales in both the U.S. and U.K.

With their second album Queen II , released in 1974, the group began a string of fourteen consecutive top 10 charting studio albums at home in the U.K. The streak continued through their final studio release, 1995's Made In Heaven .

Commercial success came a little more slowly in the U.S., but the group's fourth album A Night at the Opera hit the top 10 and was certified platinum on the strength of the legendary hit "Bohemian Rhapsody," a mini-opera wrapped in a six-minute rock song. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is often listed as one of the greatest rock songs of all time.

The peak of Queen's pop success in the U.S. took place in 1980 with the #1 charting album The Game, featuring two #1 pop hit singles "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites the Dust." It was the final top 10 album in the U.S. for the group, and Queen failed to reach the pop top 10 again with later studio singles. 

In February 1990, Freddie Mercury made his final public appearance with Queen to accept the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. A year later they released the studio album Innuendo . It was followed by Greatest Hits II released less than a month before Mercury's death.

Solo Career

Many fans of Queen in the U.S. are unaware of Freddie Mercury's career as a solo artist. None of his singles were significant hits in the U.S., but he had a string of six top 10 pop hits in the U.K.

The first Freddie Mercury solo single "I Can Hear Music" was released in 1973, but he didn't approach solo work with serious dedication until the release of the album Mr. Bad Guy in 1985. It debuted in the top 10 on the U.K. album chart and received strongly positive critical reviews. The style of the music is influenced heavily by disco in contrast to the majority of Queen's music being rock. He recorded a duet with Michael Jackson that was not included on the album. A remix of the album's song "Living On My Own" became a posthumous #1 pop hit in the U.K.

Between albums, Freddie Mercury released a series of singles including a cover of the Platters' classic "The Great Pretender," a top five pop smash in the U.K. Mercury's second solo album Barcelona was released in 1988. It was recorded with Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballe and combines pop music with opera. The title track was used as an official song for the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain a year after Freddie's death. Montserrat Caballe performed it live at the opening of the Olympics with Mercury joining her on a video screen.

By 1990, despite denials, Mercury's low public profile and gaunt image fueled rumors about his health. He was visibly weakened when Queen accepted their Outstanding Contribution to Music honor at the Brit Awards in February 1990.

Rumors that Freddie Mercury was ill with AIDS spread throughout early 1991, but his colleagues denied the truth in the stories. After Mercury's death, his bandmate Brian May revealed that the group knew of the AIDS diagnosis long before it became public knowledge.

Freddie Mercury's final appearance in front of a camera was the Queen music video "These Are the Days Of Our Lives" filmed in May 1991. In June, he chose to retire to his home in west London. On November 22, 1991, Mercury released a public statement through Queen's management that, in part, said, "I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS." Just over 24 hours later on November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury died at age 45.

Freddie Mercury's singing voice has been celebrated as a unique instrument in the annals of rock music history. Although his natural voice was in the baritone range, he often performed notes in the tenor range. His recorded vocals extended from low bass to high soprano. The Who's lead vocalist Roger Daltrey told an interviewer that Freddie Mercury was, "the best virtuoso rock 'n' roll singer of all time. He could sing anything in any style."

Freddie also left behind a catalog of phenomenal hits in a range of musical styles, including "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," "We Are the Champions," and "Somebody To Love" among many others. 

Extravagantly theatrical live performances endeared Freddie Mercury to live concert fans around the world. He influenced generations of rock performers with his ability to connect directly with an audience. His performances leading Queen at Live Aid in 1985 are considered to be among the top live rock performances of all time.

Freddie Mercury stayed silent about AIDs and his own sexual orientation until just before his death. His intention was to protect those close to him in an era in which AIDS carried a heavy social stigma for its victims and their inner circle of friends and acquaintances, but his silence has also complicated his status as a gay icon. Regardless, Mercury's life and music will be celebrated for years to come, both in the gay community and in rock history at large. 

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Culture History

Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) was a British singer, songwriter, and the dynamic frontman of the legendary rock band Queen. Born as Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, Mercury’s vocal prowess and flamboyant stage presence made him an iconic figure in the music world. With Queen, he contributed to numerous hits, including “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” and “Somebody to Love.” Mercury’s extraordinary vocal range, theatrical performances, and songwriting talents solidified his status as one of the greatest rock musicians of all time. He passed away in 1991 due to complications from AIDS.

Mercury’s early life was marked by cultural diversity. Born to Parsi parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, in Zanzibar, he spent his formative years in India before moving to England in the 1960s. His interest in music emerged early, and he started playing the piano at a young age. After completing his education at St. Peter’s School in Panchgani, India, Mercury moved to England and enrolled at the Ealing Art College. It was during this time that he formed a deep bond with music and began exploring his artistic inclinations.

In the late 1960s, Mercury joined forces with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, and bassist John Deacon later completing the lineup. This collaboration marked the birth of Queen in 1970. The band quickly gained attention for its unique sound, blending rock, pop, and opera influences. Freddie Mercury’s vocal prowess and stage charisma set Queen apart, and they became a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.

Queen’s self-titled debut album, released in 1973, laid the foundation for their success. However, it was the follow-up album, “Queen II” (1974), that showcased Mercury’s songwriting abilities with tracks like “Seven Seas of Rhye.” The band’s breakthrough came with the album “Sheer Heart Attack” (1974), featuring the hit single “Killer Queen.” This success was followed by the epic “A Night at the Opera” (1975), which included the iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The groundbreaking nature of the song, combining various musical styles and featuring elaborate vocal harmonies, solidified Queen’s status as innovators in the music industry.

Freddie Mercury’s stage presence became legendary as Queen embarked on world tours. His dynamic performances, marked by theatricality and audience engagement, showcased his ability to command a crowd. The 1980 album “The Game” featured the hit singles “Another One Bites the Dust” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” further diversifying Queen’s musical style and appealing to a broader audience.

Despite his flamboyant onstage persona, Mercury was known to be a private individual offstage. His personal life became the subject of speculation and tabloid scrutiny due to his relationships, particularly with Mary Austin, whom he referred to as his “common-law wife.” Their romantic involvement eventually evolved into a close friendship that endured throughout Mercury’s life.

The 1980s brought both challenges and triumphs for Queen. While Mercury faced health issues and increasing rumors about his well-being, the band continued to produce successful albums, including “The Works” (1984) with hits like “Radio Ga Ga” and “I Want to Break Free.” The Live Aid performance in 1985, considered one of the greatest in rock history, showcased Queen’s enduring appeal and raised funds for charity.

In 1987, Queen released the album “The Miracle,” featuring Mercury’s powerful vocals on tracks like “The Show Must Go On.” It became evident that Mercury’s health was declining due to complications from AIDS, a fact he had kept private. Mercury faced the challenges of the illness with courage and continued to work on music.

Freddie Mercury’s final studio album with Queen, “Innuendo” (1991), was released months before his death. The album showcased a range of emotions and musical styles, with Mercury’s poignant lyrics reflecting on life and mortality. The title track, “Innuendo,” and the haunting “These Are the Days of Our Lives” are considered poignant reflections of Mercury’s state of mind during his final days.

Freddie Mercury passed away on November 24, 1991, at the age of 45, just one day after revealing to the public that he was battling AIDS. His death was a significant loss to the music world, and his legacy endures through Queen’s timeless catalog and his impact on subsequent generations of musicians.

Posthumously, Freddie Mercury remains an influential and beloved figure. The 1992 tribute concert held at Wembley Stadium in his honor featured an array of renowned artists, including Elton John, David Bowie, and George Michael. The concert raised funds for AIDS research and celebrated Mercury’s life and contributions to music.

Mercury’s legacy extends beyond his role as Queen’s frontman. He is remembered for his ability to connect with audiences, his diverse musical influences, and his fearlessness in breaking musical boundaries. In 2018, the biographical film “Bohemian Rhapsody” brought Mercury’s life story to a new generation, with actor Rami Malek earning an Academy Award for his portrayal of the iconic singer.

Freddie Mercury’s impact on music, performance, and the acceptance of diversity in the industry is immeasurable. His contribution to Queen’s success, coupled with his unique voice and stage presence, has solidified his place as one of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of popular music.

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Lasted Stories

Mr. Bad Guy (1985)

In early 1983, hot on the heels of exhaustive Queen tours of Europe, Canada, North America and Japan, Freddie and German record producer Reinhold Mack returned to Musicland studios in Munich to commence recording sessions for Freddie’s first solo album. Mack had already forged a working relationship with the band, having co-produced Flash Gordon, The Game and Hot Space.

What emerged in April 1985, was a rich fusion of material spanning the entire spectrum of human emotion; from the upbeat optimism of I Was Born To Love You and Let’s Turn It On, to the subdued poignancy of Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow and There Must Be More To Life Than This.

For the most part, Mr Bad Guy finds Freddie in typically jovial mood, enjoying a particularly creative period, and in fine voice. The music is vibrant and the lyrics as candid as ever, taking on issues never very far from Freddie’s consciousness, evident on songs like Living On My Own, Your Kind Of Lover, Foolin’ Around, My Love Is Dangerous and the album’s semi-autobiographical title track.

Freddie: “I’ve put my heart and soul into this album. It has some very moving ballads - things to do with sadness and pain, but at the same time they’re frivolous and tongue-in-cheek, because that’s my nature. I’ve wanted to do a solo album for a long time and the rest of the band have encouraged me to do it. I wanted to cover such things as reggae rhythms and I’ve done a couple of things with a symphony orchestra. It has a very rich sound and it’s very beat orientated. I think it’s a very natural album, and I hope people will like my voice."

“I’m possessed by love. I’m a romantic. I’m also a man of extremes. I think the songs on this album reflect the state of my life; a diverse selection of moods. I wanted to write a batch of songs that came out under the name of Freddie Mercury. It’s not like starting a new career, it’s more like going off at a tangent. I feel I’m doing this with all the experience I’ve gained with Queen. But this is just me. I’m in control."

“It’s like painting a picture; you have to step away from it to see what it’s like. I’m stepping away from Queen and I think it’s going to give everybody a shot in the arm. But of course I’ll be working with Queen again, there’s no doubt about that."

“Yes, I would like it to be successful. It matters to me a lot. I’ve made a piece of music which I want to be accepted in the biggest way possible. But I’m not worried about the fact that it might not be successful, because if it isn’t, I will just go out and make another one.”

Originally titled Made In Heaven, Freddie changed his mind just weeks prior to the album going to press, preferring instead the aptness, as he perceived it, of Mr Bad Guy. However, Made In Heaven was destined to provide Roger, Brian and John with a fitting title to the final Queen album - albeit a decade later, in November 1995. For that project, the three remaining band members would painstakingly piece together the vocals left behind by Freddie – recorded in Montreux during his last months - to make a seamless final album. They would also respectfully revisit two of Freddie’s songs from Mr Bad Guy - I Was Born To Love You and Made In Heaven. As you might expect, Queen’s ‘re-visited’ versions are very different to the originals.

Freddie: “Basically, I was lost for a title, but as far as I’m concerned album titles are immaterial. I didn’t know what to call it, but I had what I thought was a very beautiful track called Made In Heaven, which seemed to conjure up an image of some kind. But to be honest, I’m not really worried about it. It’s what you listen to that matters, not what the title is. Don’t judge a book by its cover! - although, there is a beautiful photograph of me on this cover.”

Intriguingly, two tracks from this album began life during sessions for Queen albums, but were ultimately left off and later reworked by Freddie on his own. There Must Be More To Life Than This dates back to 1981 Hot Space sessions, while Man Made Paradise - a significantly different version to this – first emerged in 1983, during the making of The Works. More To Life was scheduled to close the album until Brian and Freddie wrote Is This The World We Created.

Due to commitments with Queen, Freddie never had the opportunity to tour with Mr Bad Guy. Within two weeks of the album’s release, the band had embarked upon tours of New Zealand, Australia and Japan. 1985, of course, concluded with the band’s unforgettable performance at Live Aid, on July 13, and arguably Freddie Mercury’s finest ‘hour’ on stage - one for which he will be fondly remembered.

Mack: “The songs on Mr Bad Guy came very quickly, but of course this time it was all so different because there was no band. Freddie was very happy with the album. I think one of the things he wanted to do most, was the big orchestral thing, which he never really got to do with Queen. Freddie was actually very modest about his songs, but he knew when he’d written a good one. That’s what I call genius; he would sit down, write something, and it was so good, he didn’t even question it or analyse it. Often he would say, ‘What do you think of the lyrics?’, and I would reply, ‘Very good!’, and he would say, ‘Wait a minute’, and change a chord here and there, then a big smile would come over his face as he told me, ‘Now it’s better, isn’t it!’

Mr Bad Guy spawned four singles, I Was Born To Love You, Made In Heaven, Living On My Own and Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow, the third of which, was later to provide Freddie with his first and only solo No. 1. Sadly, though, it was to be a posthumous accolade, for the July 1993 No More Brothers’ Living On My Own Radio Mix, came 20 months after Freddie’s passing. It sold over two million copies and earned its creator an Ivor Novello award. He would have been justly proud.

Freddie dedicated the Mr Bad Guy album thus: “to my cat Jerry – also Tom, Oscar and Tiffany and all the cat lovers across the universe - screw everybody else!”

Barcelona - Original (1988)

Without question, Barcelona was one of Freddie’s most ambitious, challenging and at once, courageous undertakings. He regarded it as one of the most rewarding projects of his career, and among those of which he was most proud. Indeed, working with Montserrat Caballé was the realisation of a dream he never really expected to come to fruition.

In July 1986, during an interview for the Spanish Arts TV programme Informe Semanal, Freddie discussed his passion for opera, and in particular his love of Montserrat Caballé’s voice. The main reason for his visit to Barcelona, he explained, was because he wanted to meet the diva. Oblivious of his interviewee’s penchant for opera, the host was suitably taken aback. The message, however, did not go unheard, and word got back to Montserrat. Manager Jim Beach made contact with Queen’s promoter in Spain, Pino Sagliocco, to set up a meeting, and ultimately Freddie’s dream became a reality nine months later. He finally met up with Montserrat at the Ritz Hotel in Barcelona on March 24, 1987. And so was born perhaps the most extraordinary collaboration in modern recording history.

Freddie flew into Barcelona with Jim Beach, composer/arranger Mike Moran, and his personal assistant Peter Freestone. Freddie also took with him a tape containing a song he had written specially for the occasion.

Peter Freestone: “They sat down. Freddie and Montserrat were sitting together and the rest of us stood around, and for about two or three minutes there was a silence. And then Freddie turned to Montserrat and said, ‘Well, I’ve got a song for you. Shall I play it?’ And that was it, that broke the ice.”

Mike Moran: "The track was Exercises In Free Love (the B-side of The Great Pretender). She was amazed."

‘Wonderful!’, Montserrat enthused. ‘I shall give it a world premiere in three days time at Covent Garden’ . There was a moment’s silence before she tapped me on the shoulder and announced, ‘And YOU shall play!”

Montserrat Caballé: “I walked into the room. Freddie’s hands were so cold, and I was very cold too. So I thought, he is nervous too, that is good, because when people are nervous that means they are expecting something from the other one. So, later we stand up from the table and went to the corner of the room to the piano, and he was playing, and I was beginning to see his ideas. We could have gone on for hours and hours and hours. When we finished, we look at each other, and I knew it; that he has conquered me!”

One of the greatest divas of our time, and one the greatest rock music frontmen, spent the remainder of that afternoon singing together, with Mike Moran at the piano, in the hotel’s garden room.

On March 29, Montserrat was in London for her sold out performance in Covent Garden. Freddie was in attendance of course, and was, by all accounts, a quivering wreck. True to her word, as the final encore of the recital, Montserrat surprised her audience by announcing a brand new piece entitled Exercises In Free Love, written for her by Freddie Mercury and Mike Moran. The flawless performance evoked a standing ovation from the audience, and once again Freddie was ecstatic.

After the recital, Freddie, Mike, Montserrat and brother Carlos, dined together at Freddie’s house. Over dinner, Montserrat asked Freddie if he would write a song about her home town, and of course he agreed. Discussions continued late into the night - despite Carlos announcing early on that his sister and he would not be staying long - and the two finally left Freddie’s house at 5.00 a.m. the next morning. During the night, Freddie, Montserrat and Mike worked on ideas together which would later form the basis of Barcelona and The Fallen Priest.

Mike Moran: “We played everything from Aretha Franklin to Jennifer Holliday, and Montserrat had a go at gospel music like a diva had never done before. She felt a wonderful sense of artistic freedom, which Freddie had brought into her life. She said that it was wonderful being with people for whom music was a very natural expression, rather than a ritualised process”.

David Richards: “With his dream finally looking like it was coming true, Freddie set to work preparing the music at a frantic pace. Everything had to be absolutely perfect for the day when Montserrat would come into the studio and sing her parts. Freddie had told us of a story where she had once stopped singing in the middle of a concert, announcing, ‘I am very sorry, but I cannot continue. This orchestra is out of tune and therefore not adequate. Goodbye’. This made us very keen to get the best sounds we could. Freddie insisted on trying out every vocal line and phrase, not only his own parts, but those of Montserrat too, imitating her parts in a very high falsetto voice.

“I have never heard, before or since, a singer with such a vocal range as Freddie. He had to be in control of every note of the orchestral parts. Standing over Mike at his keyboard with a feverish enthusiasm, he would examine and direct every violin part, every cello note, when they should play, and how loudly, and when there should be flutes and how high they should play.

“We would then start to slowly and meticulously track on the orchestral parts one instrument at a time. At this stage I remember working very hard to make the sampled and synthesized instruments sound as real as possible. This was frustrating sometimes, as I thought a real orchestra would sound better. Fred maintained that he couldn’t have the same control over the orchestration that way, and we could always add real players after the parts had been finalized - which we did in the end, on one or two tracks.

“And so, for weeks the three of us sat in the studio doing this meticulous work until the day when finally it was perfect enough for Montserrat to come in and sing her parts. But this wasn’t enough perfection. The studio itself had to be polished, cleaned and made ready, and Freddie made Townhouse Studios redecorate the ladies toilets just in case she wanted to use them.

“We were nervous that day, but everything was ready and went very smoothly. Montserrat sang the songs brilliantly and turned out to be the nicest and friendliest of people. It was obvious that she liked and admired Freddie very much. The whole vocal session was completed in a couple of hours.”

Barcelona (the song) was recorded in April 1987 and was first performed by Freddie and Montserrat at the Ku Club in Ibiza on May 30, 1987. It was the finale to the worldwide Ibiza 92 festival. The hugely emotional reception it received from the Spanish audience, spurred Freddie and Montserrat to push on with the project, and Barcelona became a fitting title track to the album which was to follow, and a worldwide hit.

The Barcelona album was recorded over an 18 month period between January 1987 and July 1988, at both Townhouse studios in London and Mountain studios in Switzerland, and was produced by Freddie, Mike Moran and David Richards.

Freddie: “It’s so ridiculous when you think about it; her and me together. But if we have something musically together, it doesn’t matter what we look like or where we come from. I just thought, and still think, that Montserrat is remarkable and has a marvelous voice. I was willing just to go on liking it, never thinking she’d ask me to sing with her. It just snowballed. At first I thought it was only going to be the one track, but then she said, ‘Let’s make an album’. I thought, ‘My God, what am I going to do now?’ You just don’t turn the Super-Diva down. I thought I’d better put my money where my mouth is. It was such a different thing to do. I’m glad I did it. It was totally un-rock ’n’ roll, and something that really required a lot of discipline.

“I don’t know how Queen fans will react to this. I’ll soon find out. It’s a very hard album to categorise. You can’t put it under any label, can you? The worst thing they can call it is ‘rock opera’ – which is so boring.”

In terms of songwriting, 1987/88 was something of a prolific period for Freddie. A number of ideas he began during the Barcelona sessions were never finished, and those which were, underwent significant changes along the road to perfection. Working titles such as Rachmaninov’s Revenge, Vocal Exercises and Freddie’s Overture gave way to The Fallen Priest, Exercises In Free Love and Guide Me Home, and another idea, the exotically titled Africa By Night, evolved into All God’s People, and although far progressed, was shelved only to be re-worked later by Queen for the 1991 Innuendo album. Ultimately, in October 1988, the Barcelona album emerged as an immensely impressive body of work.

On October 8, 1987, Freddie and Montserrat appeared together again, this time at the huge La Nit event, on the steps of Montjuic Castle in Barcelona, to mark the arrival of the Olympic flag from Korea. In the presence of the King and Queen of Spain, Freddie and Montserrat performed three tracks, Barcelona, The Golden Boy and How Can I Go On, from their forthcoming album. The event was filmed for television worldwide, director Gavin Taylor working live with no less than 18 cameras.

On October 10, 1988, the Barcelona album was released to widely contrasting press reviews. For once, the music establishment was taken by surprise by the unlikely collaboration, and many struggled for things to say. But by far the majority were complimentary.

In Spain, the album was released three weeks earlier, on September 21, and promptly sold 10,000 copies in the first three hours of going on sale. It was the first collaboration between a rock star and opera diva, but a formula which was to be copied many times in subsequent years.

In America, the Barcelona album was released some four years after the original European LP, in July 1992. For that album, Hollywood Records repackaged the disc, using alternative artwork from the 1992 European CD re-issue, and, most significantly, remastered each track, thus creating something of a rarity. The famous title track single, meanwhile, was never released in America.

Freddie and Montserrat’s rock operatic detour reached No. 15 in the UK album charts, while the single peaked at No. 8, captured beautifully by David Mallet’s promotional video. The photograph of Freddie being embraced by Montserrat (on the reverse side of the album sleeve), is an image which will endure forever.

Mike Moran: “Freddie and Montserrat formed a very special bond. Freddie and I were invited to attend a tribute evening to Montserrat at the Madrid Opera House, and I was asked to play Ensueño for her. It was like an operatic This Is Your Life, and all unrehearsed. Huge luminaries were due to attend – di Stefano, Carreras, Juan Pons. I was announced, and duly went on stage with Montserrat, and she sang Ensueño.

‘Is Freddie here?’, she hissed at me in a stage whisper, as we took our bow. ‘Yes’, I replied, and pointed him out. At the end of the show, she insisted he be on stage with her. It was a tremendous vindication for him. Like Montserrat, Freddie was deeply respectful of talented people, those whom he admired, in whatever field. He was always ready to accord credit where he felt credit was due, and when it was done in reverse, when he was the recipient, he was delighted.”

Montserrat Caballé: “Barcelona was an example of the high musical talent of Freddie. He was not only a popular singer, he was a musician, that could sit at the piano and compose. He discovered a new way to bring different music styles together. He is the first and only person to have done this”.

Peter Freestone: “He was on cloud nine. Freddie was up in the sky. He didn’t need a plane to go home on, he was so happy. From what I know of Freddie, one of the biggest, greatest moments in his life, was when Montserrat had come over to London and put down her vocal track for Barcelona. After they’d done it, on the way home from the studio, I remember Freddie turning to me and saying, ‘That’s it! I’ve done it! I’ve got HER voice on MY music!”

In 1992 Barcelona was adopted as the main anthem for the Olympic Games. The single was re-issued in August, and this time peaked at No. 2. Freddie and Montserrat were to have sung it together at the opening ceremony of the games, but of course, ultimately Montserrat sang it instead with Jose Carreras.

Barcelona is a truly unique collection. It is a greatly underrated piece of work, too often overlooked in preference to the more pop-orientated, in-vogue records Freddie made. In terms of sheer musicality and vocal virtuosity, it is unsurpassed. It remains a firm favourite among fans and is generally regarded as THE Freddie Mercury showcase – a vocal, musical and lyrical tour de force.

In addition to the title track, two other songs were issued as singles - The Golden Boy and How Can I Go On, the latter with John Deacon on bass.

The Freddie Mercury Album (1992)

The Freddie Mercury Album was released through EMI on November 17th 1992, with Hollywood Records releasing this album a week later, the first anniversary of Freddie’s death, under the title The Great Pretender.

Conceived as a tribute, and featuring a mixture of Freddie’s best known solo hits and album material, the album (in both its forms) went on to be his biggest selling solo project by far. It topped the album charts in numerous territories, and has to date sold in excess of three million copies.

The album features eleven tracks, comprised for the most part of specially commissioned remixes. However, while many fans harboured strong reservations about the remixes, phenomenal sales figures in every corner of the globe, brought Freddie’s music to a whole new audience.

The US version features My Love Is Dangerous (Jeff Lord-Alge remix) in place of Barcelona (Album Version, as contained on the EMI disc), Brian Malouf’s remix of The Great Pretender, instead of the original cut (as contained on the European counterpart), and Richard Wolf’s remix of Love Kills, in place of the original version contained on the EMI disc. The remaining eight tracks were identical for both discs - Steve Brown’s remixes of Foolin’ Around and Your Kind Of Lover, In My Defence (Ron Nevison remix), Time (Nile Rodgers remix), Mr Bad Guy (Brian Malouf remix), a new mix of Living On My Own (featuring additional production by Julian Raymond), Let’s Turn It On (Jeff Lord-Alge remix) and the original version of Exercises In Free Love.

Some North American pressings of The Great Pretender, featured a 3.25 Techno Mix of Living On My Own, as an extra track.

Freddie Mercury Solo - Box Set (2000)

When Freddie Mercury died in November 1991, he left behind a body of recorded work spanning 20 years. The bulk of his archive naturally relates to the 15 studio LPs and 700 live concerts recorded with Queen, but Freddie also recorded two solo albums, several non-album singles, and guest appearances on numerous projects by friends. Add to this the material he produced, co-produced and co-wrote for other artists, and the legacy becomes far larger and more diverse than one might expect.

Though Freddie recorded the acclaimed "Barcelona" album with opera diva Montserrat Caballe in 1988, the "Mr Bad Guy" LP from three years earlier remains his only true solo album. However, this relatively small output belied a significant volume of out-takes and rarities, which until the turn of the millennium remained unheard. On 23rd October 2000 the long awaited, "Freddie Mercury Solo" box set was released. Conceived as the definitive collection, the 128-track, 12-disc collection (10 CDs, 2 DVDs) emerged after eighteen months painstaking work, as just that.

I spent 10 months working on the project, part of a small and dedicated team. My initial brief was to catalogue the hundreds of Queen tapes in the band's archive, but when the Freddie box set was proposed, I focused exclusively on Freddie's solo material until I had heard and catalogued every tape - and I do mean every tape.

Every reel was scrutinised from beginning to end because one never knows for absolute certain what might be lurking on the end of the spool. Not every recording is necessarily detailed on the box in all cases.

Some of the tracks in the collection (particularly on the three "Rarities" discs) are just brief extracts from sessions, sometimes less than a minute long. Very often I would listen through an hour's worth of tape only to end up with a 45-second snippet of amusing dialogue for potential use. Even in those instances, it was always worth the effort.

On "Rarities 2", there is a lovely extract where Freddie and Mike Moran are jamming together. One moment Freddie is ad-libbing like a man possessed, and the next he slips into a beautiful and very soulful Aretha Franklyn-esque piece. It was the perfect ending to the disc.

Recording engineer Justin Shirley-Smith comments: "It was strange hearing the 'late night jam'. I was there at the original session, and I never thought I'd ever hear it again. It was material like this that was the biggest challenge. I think Freddie would have approved it for release. We didn't want any tracks to be featured which Freddie might not have approved of. On the other hand, this being a fan-driven project, we wanted to include as much material as possible. Consequently, there has been a certain amount of studio trickery to enable us to present some material which might otherwise have been left off."

Listening through every tape was an exhaustive process. We needed to be sure that we wouldn't find something relevant to this collection years down the line when it was too late. This is Freddie Mercury's musical legacy we're talking about here, so we gave it all the time it deserved. Justin Shirley-Smith and I were extremely careful not to miss anything.

Another significant aspect is the top-quality packaging. Queen art director Richard Gray did a superb job on the 120-page-book. The illustrations of rare Freddie solo releases from around the world come from Brian May's own collection, and there are some great and very rare photographs which fans (at the time, year 2000) would not have have seen before.

Also included are some of Freddie's original college sketches and paintings, plus a huge appraisal of Freddie by music journalist Sean O'Hagan. All these elements offer a personal feel to the package. While the project was orientated to Freddie's solo career, there are of course numerous references to Queen throughout. Brian wrote a lovely introduction for the book, detailing ground not covered before and I like to think that Freddie would have appreciated it - as well as the work we put into every other aspect of the project too. We tried to compile something weighty and impressive that the fans would love, obviously, but which Freddie would have approved of. The latter was paramount and a difficult thing to balance. There were those that thought we offered a little too much of Freddie at work, but I recall thinking it would be great to offer, for the very first and probably only time, some insight into the great man and wonderful musician at work; and therefore some of the frustrating out-takes too. I thought that element was important, and so too did the fans I spoke with much later when they heard it. We hear Freddie getting things wrong sometimes - he was human after all!!! - and ultimately triumphing and making it through to the amazing familiar songs we all love.

In addition to the nine music discs and the interview audio CD, the box included two DVDs. The first is a collection of Freddie's solo videos, carefully remixed in Surround Sound; it also features interviews with the directors who worked on Freddie's solo clips. The other is a fascinating two-hour documentary about his life: Freddie Mercury: The Untold Story.

Greg Brooks. Revised text: May 2016

Barcelona - Special Edition (2012)

For many years fans of the Barcelona album have always wanted to hear what it would have sounded like with a live orchestra. Believe it or not, it was almost entirely recorded on keyboards. The reason Freddie decided upon that at the time was largely due to the fact that he was already dealing with an opera singer who came from an entirely different world to his and to arrange a score for a full eighty piece orchestra was one step too far out of his comfort zone.

In 2012, to mark the 25th anniversary of the song, Stuart Morley, musical director of the Queen musical ‘We Will Rock You’ faithfully adapted the entire album for orchestra, lifting what was already an outstanding record into a whole new stratosphere. Rousing, triumphant, emotional and magnificent.

In addition to the orchestral score, performed by the City Of Prague Philharmonic, other live instruments were added for the first time. Naoko Kikuchi, is one of the few koto players in the western world, flew over to add the ancient oriental instrument to ‘La Japonaise.’ Rufus Taylor, Roger’s son, replaced the drum machines on ‘The Golden Boy’ and ‘How Can Go On’ with live percussion. The latter song also boasts a new violin solo from David Garret and of course, John Deacon appears on bass.

Barcelona: The Special Edition’ finally became the album it should have been giving the the world an opportunity to rediscover and fall in love with it all over again. The only downside is that the visionary behind this masterpiece isn’t around to hear it too.

The Great Pretender: Documentary (2012)

In 2011, following the success of ‘Queen: Days of Our Lives’ I was approached by Jim Beach to think about making a documentary about the 'Barcelona’ album, which was approaching it’s 25th anniversary. Originally, this was all the documentary was going to be, however, I felt there was a bigger story to tell; the story of Freddie’s life outside of Queen as an individual and a solo artist, the ups and downs, professionally and personally. I was keen to let Freddie tell his own story using the unseen, very funny and honest David Wigg interview as a narrative spine. Although much of the story was well known to fans, I looked everywhere for unseen interviews, transferred promo rushes, concert footage and uncovered so much material that I would say that 90 percent of what you see in 'The Great Pretender' had never been seen before.

It was a real labour of love for me and my proudest achievement. A dream come true to make it. Myself and the editor Christopher Bird could not wait to come too work each day to spend time with Freddie, which was what it felt like. We also pissed off a lot of people in the other edit suites playing the songs way too loud. It was well rewarded with an Emmy and a Rose d’Or for 'Best Arts Documentary' and I was also nominated for a BAFTA for Breakthrough Talent as a director (some other bloke won - I have since had him shot). The reviews and viewing figures were outstanding - however, none of that really means anything. For me, what matters is that I think I made a documentary that Freddie fans like me enjoyed and something I hope that Freddie would have been proud of.

Rhys Thomas (Director)

The Great Pretender: A life in pictures book (2012)

Published in hardback by Carlton on 3rd September 2012 - The Great Pretender: A Life In Pictures was an illustrated portrait of Freddie’s life. It was published to coincide with Freddie For A Day, annual awareness and fundraising event in aid of the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

This official book celebrates his colourful life: as a child growing up in Zanzibar; as a singer in Queen; as a solo artist; and above all captures him as one of the twentieth century’s foremost popular cultural icons.

Freddie’s life is recounted in insightful text and captivating photographs from the most recognised to the very rare.

Also included was an hour-long CD that contains a rare, revealing interview with Westwood One “Off The Record” radio host Mary Turner recorded in the 1980’s in which he candidly discusses all aspects of his life and stardom.

The book was created and designed by long time Queen photographer and graphic designer Richard Gray. As well as designing album and singles covers, Gray also photographed Queen on stage at the end of their last concert with Freddie and shot the last portrait taken of Freddie, both included in this book.

The accompanying text was written by British Press Awards and J Dudley Johnston award winner Sean O’Hagan.

MESSENGER OF THE GODS: THE SINGLES (2016)

Freddie Mercury was a man of many talents and many different sides. The songs he wrote for and with Queen filled stadiums around the globe and have rightly gone down in history, but he also embarked on a solo career that took him from the clubs of Munich and New York to the great opera houses of the world.

He was the ultimate showman, but he kept his private life away from the prying eyes of the media; a larger than life rock star who loved disco, classical music and ballet. He was a restless spirit, a true chameleon who reveled in his own contradictions.

All the different sides of this iconic musician can be found on Freddie Mercury: Messenger Of The Gods – The Singles. Fittingly released on Mercury Records for the world outside North America, and on Hollywood Records in North America, this box set brings together all 13 of Freddie’s solo singles on individually coloured vinyl.

From his debut solo single I Can Hear Music, released under the name Larry Lurex, through the dance floor-influenced solo anthems of the 80s and up to his collaborations with legendary Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballé including the timeless Barcelona, this is a journey through the career of a unique talent.

Messenger Of The Gods is also includes two posthumous singles, In My Defence and Living On My Own (No More Brothers Radio Mix), the latter of which became Freddie’s first solo number 1 and was the biggest selling European single of the year in 1993.

Had he lived, it is anyone’s guess where this most restless and protean of singer’s muses would have taken him. But Messenger Of The Gods – The Singles is a towering legacy, a collection of songs which will never lose their stature of classics and will live on forever.

Freddie Mercury: Messenger Of The Gods – The Singles was released by Mercury /Universal on September 2 2016 as a box set featuring 13 x 7” singles on coloured vinyl with a booklet featuring photos, some of which were previously unpublished, and text. It also included a download voucher. Freddie Mercury: Messenger Of The Gods – The Singles was also available on 2CD with a 20-page booklet and as a digital album.

NEVER BORING (2019)

Released by Hollywood Records in North America and Mercury Records in the rest of the world on October 11 2019, the “Never Boring” box set brought together for the first time a specially-curated selection of Freddie Mercury’s music, visuals and written and spoken words. It is was a collection to jog the memory of fans, old and new, as to why Freddie remains such a beloved figure, nearly 30 years after his death.

Taken from the very best original source material available, the full “Never Boring” collection contained three CDs with 32 tracks; a Blu-ray and DVD featuring 13 promo videos and interview; a 120-page 10”x10” hardback book full photos, many of them rare and unpublished, as well as thoughts and choice quotes from Freddie himself, and an introduction from Rami Malek, who earned an Oscar for his portrayal of Freddie in Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Specially created insert packaging includes a double-sided poster containing an image of Freddie and an original work from synesthetic artist Jack Coulter inspired by the song “Mr Bad Guy”.

The three CDs included a new 12-track compilation of many of Freddie’s greatest solo performances; a newly mixed 11-track special edition of “Mr Bad Guy”; and the nine-track 2012 special edition of “Barcelona” featuring full orchestra. The Blu-ray and DVD of Freddie’s promos and his stage performances with Montserrat Caballé include eight that have been painstakingly reassembled from the original 35mm film rushes to give them the best-ever visual and sound quality. The albums were also individually available on CD, vinyl and on digital and streaming services.

The set included the recently discovered track “Time Waits For No One” produced by Dave Clark which has recently taken the internet by storm and a haunting little known track “Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow” immortalised in a new animated video by award winning duo Beth David and Esteban Bravo.

For all the 2019 ‘special edition’ tracks on “Never Boring” and the “Mr Bad Guy” album, sound team Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J Macrae and Kris Fredriksson have taken the very best original source material available. They went back not to previously remastered and mixed tapes, but to the original source multi-track tapes, so that they could build a new mix true to Freddie’s original versions, now taking advantage of the time, resources and technology that Freddie may not have originally had available to him in the 1980s. All offer ultimate quality, first generation vocals showing off Freddie’s incredible vocal range.

The special edition of the “Barcelona” album had been reworked in 2012 using similar methods, but what was missed by many at the time was that the 2012 edition replaced the previous instrumental tracks with new, live symphonic orchestration and percussion, rather than synthesisers and drum machines used on the original album.

The same painstaking care in rebuilding the audio tracks has been used to bring all of Freddie’s original video promos to life again.

The entire “Never Boring” package reflects Freddie’s eclectic tastes and love for life. As he himself said: “Some people can take second best, but I can’t. I look upon it as defeat. If you’ve got the taste of being number one, then number two isn’t good enough.”

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The Best Freddie Mercury Biographies: Three Must-Reads About The King of Queen

By Joshua Kanter

Joshua Kanter

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

After Bohemian Rhapsody , 2018’s blockbuster Freddie Mercury biopic, there was a surge of renewed interest in Queen and its charismatic frontman. Younger fans began discovering the group  – digging out their parents’ dusty LPs, launching the title track to over a billion streams on Spotify, and even making viral YouTube reaction videos of their first time hearing Mercury’s magnum opus.

Older fans were reinvigorated too, revisiting the albums of their youth, reminiscing about seeing the band live (those who were lucky enough to), and seeking to learn more about Mercury with all the newly available information regarding the theatrical but notoriously private singer.

Both groups will discover something new in these Freddie Mercury biographies, which offer three completely different perspectives of Mercury’s incredible life. 

The first book is from his partner, Jim Hutton, who gives a wistful retelling of his time with Mercury right up until the end. The two had a complicated relationship – intimate and close in private, yet Mercury always kept a distance from Hutton while in the eye of the public and the relentless British tabloids, at a time when being openly gay was not yet widely accepted (homosexuality had only been decriminalized in the UK less than a decade earlier). Though their relationship was rocky at times, Hutton loved and cared for Mercury, was by his side when he died, and offers a fly-on-the-wall observation of his life and a heartbreaking account of his final days. 

Another, a collection of quotes and interviews from Mercury himself, paints a picture with verbal pieces. Freddie’s quotes, quips and insights fuel the timeline along, creating a look at his life through his own thoughts and observations.

Finally, Somebody to Love delves deep into the history of HIV/ AIDS , eventually incorporating Mercury into the disease’s trajectory, and telling the story of his final years battling the virus that eventually took his life in 1991.

All three are must-reads for any fans of Freddie looking to learn all they can about the singer’s life offstage and behind closed doors. 

1. Mercury and Me

For those more interested in a glimpse beyond the glitz, Jim Hutton’s book provides a unique perspective of Freddie Mercury in his final years.

Hutton, Mercury’s partner and close friend from 1985 to 1991, was also his caretaker and confidant (and gardener as well, for a time), and offers an accurate and intimate account of the singer’s life and death. The book is almost an epilogue of sorts to the Bohemian Rhapsody film, which ends before the majority of these years take place.  

Hutton, who died in 2010, gives insight into the Freddie that he knew –  the tumultuous ups and downs and everything in between. He wasn’t in the spotlight, and maybe even preferred it that way, but he was alongside Mercury for the ride, and gives what often times feels like a fly-on-the-wall narrative of the singer’s life that was hidden from the public eye. 

The book does touch upon the musical side of things briefly, mentioning what Mercury was working on in his last years, his devoted work ethic right up until the end, and which songs and artists were most inspirational to him. But mainly the focus here is the relationship between the two.  

PROS:  Hutton’s book offers a one-of-a-kind window into Mercury’s life that won’t be found anywhere else. Hardcore Mercury fans that want to learn as much as possible about the legend’s life will enjoy this. The paperback also includes color photos as well. 

CONS:   Readers looking specifically for Mercury’s life story, or behind-the-scenes rockstar tales about him and Queen, may want to sit this one out. The main focus is the deep, rocky and complicated relationship Hutton and Mercury shared until the end. While some users appreciate Hutton’s storytelling of the memories shared with Mercury, others find the writing style to be dull and uninteresting. There’s also controversy among readers about the book itself, and if these intensely personal and private moments of Mercury’s life really needed to be shared publicly. 

Buy Mercury and Me

2. A Life In His Own Words by Freddie Mercury

The title may be a bit misleading here – yes, it’s his own words, but this is more a collection of quotes and interviews than a true autobiography. Still, Mercury didn’t give many in-depth interviews in his life, and this book acts as a nice collection of his humor, wit, and insight into his creative process. 

While most quotes are about music and the business, there are poignant ones that break the mold regarding friendship, societal problems, personal thoughts, and heartbreaking reflections on his own mortality. 

Though it’s not in the format of a traditional autobiography, A Life in his Own Words gives the reader the most intimate one-on-one feel with Mercury, almost as if he’s speaking directly to you.   

PROS: True Queen fans will love this one. Even if they’ve already watched the interviews quoted here, having them in one collection gives a look at Mercury’s legacy from the inside out. The forward is also written by Freddie’s mother, Jer Bulsara, giving it an even more special and bittersweet tone. 

CONS:   The book doesn’t really provide a narrative or a timeline, which can be confusing to new fans. There’s also not much context into where Mercury was in his life with each quote, or the situations he’s referring to when he said these things, which makes his words less impactful to the average reader and casual Queen fan.

Buy A Life In His Own Words by Freddie…

3. Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury

Somebody to Love , a well-researched collaboration by Mark Langthorne and Matt Richards, two entertainment industry veterans, is wholly unafraid to show Mercury from all sides. A rock legend living a lifestyle of excess, the choices he made along with their consequences, and being one of the first victims of AIDS in the early days of the epidemic. 

The narrative provides a parallel and intersecting storyline about the history of HIV/AIDS, dating all the way back to the early 1900s in Africa, and chronicling the devastation the LGBTQ community went through in the Seventies and Eighties. There’s a heavy focus on Mercury’s promiscuity here, and his sexuality in general. At times it’s relevant, such as the difficulty of coming out in an era before being gay was widely accepted, but can also get lost in the extremely uncensored details and detract from the main storylines.

The book could be a standalone epidemiological study about the history of HIV/AIDS even without Mercury. But eventually, it weaves him into the timeline, giving a detailed account of his personal life, and his battle with the disease that tragically took him at age 45 in 1991. The result is a powerfully emotional read.

PROS: Fans of Mercury who are already well-versed in the legend’s life will learn something new here, providing a new lens into his life and death.  

CONS: Mercury’s personal life and the history of the HIV/AIDS virus are the main subject matter here, and fans looking for stories about Queen may be disappointed here. While the book does give some attention to the band’s music, it’s mostly their mega-hits, without much insight into the lesser-known fan favorites. 

Buy Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and… $11.30

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‘ THE FREDDIE MERCURY STORY ’

OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY

Taken from Record Collector

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on Thursday September 5 th 1946 on the small spice island of Zanzibar. His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara , were both Persian [ actually Parsis – D.K. ]. His father, Bomi , was a civil servant, working as a High Court cashier for the British Government. Freddie’s sister, Kashmira , was born in 1952. In 1954, at the age of eight, Freddie was shipped to St Peter’s English boarding school in Panchgani , about fifty miles outside Bombay. It was there his friends began to call him Freddie, a name the family also adopted.

As St Peter’s was an English school, the sports played there were typically English. Freddie loathed cricket and long-distance running, but he liked hockey, sprint and boxing. At the age of 10 he became a school champion in table tennis. Freddie was not only a good sportsman, his artistic skills were incomparable. At the age of twelve he was awarded the school trophy as Junior All-Rounder. He loved art and was always sketching for friends or relatives.

He was also music mad and played records on the family’s old record player, stacking the singles to play constantly. The music he was able to get was mostly Indian, but some Western music was available. He would sing along to either and preferred music to school work.

The principal headmaster of St Peter’s had noticed Freddie’s musical talent, and wrote to his parents suggesting that they might wish to pay a little extra on Freddie’s school fees to enable him to study music properly. They agreed, and Freddie began to learn to play the piano. He also became a member of the school choir and took part regularly in school theatrical productions. He loved his piano lessons and applied himself to them with determination and skill, finally achieving Grade IV both in practical and theory.

In 1958, five friends at St Peter’s – Freddie Bulsara , Derrick Branche , Bruce Murray, Farang Irani and Victory Rana – formed the school’s rock’n’roll band, the Hectics , where Freddie was the piano player. They would play at school parties, at annual fetes and school dances, but little else is known about them.

The Hectics with Freddie in the centre

In 1962, Freddie finished school, returned to Zanzibar and spent his time with friends in and around the markets, parks and beaches. In 1964, many of the British and Indians, due to political unrest in Zanzibar, left their country, although not under forcible pressure, and among those driven out were the Bulsaras who migrated to England.

Initially they lived with relatives in Feltham, Middlesex, until they were able to find their own small, terraced house in the area. Freddie was seventeen, and had derided he wanted to go to art college, but needed at least one A level to ensure he could get in. In September 1964 he enrolled at the nearby Isleworth Polytechnic.

During vacations he took a variety of jobs to earn some money; one was in the catering department at Heathrow Airport, a stone’s throw from home, and the other was on the Feltham trading estate, where he had a job in a warehouse lifting and stacking heavy crates and boxes. His fellow workers commented on his ‘delicate’ hands, certainly not suited for such work, and asked him what he did. He told them he was a musician just ‘filling in time’, and such was his charm that those co-workers were soon doing the lion’s share of his work.

He studied hard, although he preferred the aesthetic side of school life to the more mundane academic side and easily achieved his Art A level, leaving Isleworth in the spring of 1966. His grade A pass and his natural skill ensured that he was readily accepted by Ealing College of Art and, in September 1966, Freddie began a graphic illustrating course at that college.

After Jimi Hendrix exploded onto the scene in 1967, and Freddie became an ardent fan, he spent time sketching and drawing his hero; drawings he would frame and use to decorate the walls of his flat in Kensington, rented by his friend Chris Smith, where Freddie had moved from the family home in Feltham. At that time Kensington was an important place to be for the art crowd – it was the base of the famous Biba boutique and the home of Kensington Market, frequented by the then ‘in’ crowd.

A fellow student at Ealing College was bass player Tim Staffell , with whom Freddie became good friends. As Tim’s and Freddie’s friendship became closer, Tim took him along to rehearsals of his band called Smile, with Brian May on the guitar and Roger Taylor on the drums. Freddie got on famously with Brian and Roger and loved the sound that Smile had achieved; he also had immense admiration and respect for Brian’s guitar-playing. Inspired by Smile, Freddie began to experiment with music for the first time since leaving India.

Smile – from left to right: Brian May, Tim Staffel , Roger Taylor

He initially began to practice with Tim, another art student Nigel Foster, and with Chris Smith. “The first time I heard Freddie sing I was amazed,” recounts Chris. “He had a huge voice. Although his piano style was very affected, very Mozart, he had a great touch. From a piano player's point of view, his approach was unique.”

“Freddie and I eventually got to write little bits of songs which we linked together,” adds Chris. “It makes sense when you consider Bohemian Rhapsody. It was an interesting way getting from one piece in a different key signature to another. But I don’t think we actually finished anything. Freddie certainly taught me a lot at those sessions. He had great, natural sense of melody. I picked that up straight away. For me it was the most interesting aspect of what he was doing.”

Freddie left Ealing College in June 1969, with a diploma in graphic art and design, and a few commissions for adverts in local newspapers. He moved into Roger Taylor’s flat, and that summer opened a stall with Roger at Kensington Market, initially selling artwork by himself and fellow Ealing students, and later Victorian or whatever clothes, new and second-hand, he could lay his hands on.

In the summer of 1969 Freddie was introduced to a Liverpool band called Ibex, who had come to London to try to make a name for themselves . Ibex were a three-piece, with guitarist Mike Bersin , John ‘ Tupp ’ Taylor on bass and Mick ‘ Miffer ’ Smith on drums. They also brought with them their apprentice manager, roadie and general dogsbody Ken Testi ; part-time bass player Geoff Higgins used to travel down for occasional gigs. Geoff would play bass when Tupp , a great Jethro Tull fan, wanted to play flute.

Freddie first met Ibex on 13th August 1969 . Such was his enthusiasm, that just ten days later, he’d learned the band’s set, brought in a few new songs, and had travelled to Bolton, Lancashire, for a gig with them – his debut public performance. The first date was 23 rd August, and the occasion was one of Bolton ’s regular afternoon ‘ Bluesology ’ sessions, held at the tow’s Octagon Theatre. On the 25 th August, Ibex appeared in the first ‘ Bluesology pop-in’, an open-air event on the bandstand in Bolton ’s Queen Park , and the proceedings were covered in Bolton ’s ‘Evening News’. This even featured an uncredited photograph of Freddie.

While Freddie’s trip to Bolton with Ibex was photographed, Ibex’s appearance at the Sink was recorded. This recording was made by Geoff Higgins; as he says, tape is chronic quality, but it demonstrates Ibex’s love of Cream, Jimi Hendrix, as well as Freddie’s favourite of the day, Led Zeppelin.

Somewhere between 9th September and the end of October 1969 Ibex underwent a mini upheaval – at Freddie's instigation. “I recall him canvassing the idea of calling the band Wreckage, but nobody was very enthusiastic,W reveals Mike Bersin . “Then he phoned me one night and said, ‘The others don’t mind. How do you feel?’ I said, ‘If they agree, then fine’. When I spoke to the others about it, Freddie had phoned them all up and had the same conversation.”

The name-change went hand-in-hand with the departure of drummer Mike ‘ Miffer ’ Smith. He was replaced by Richard Thompson, the former drummer in Brian May’s 1984. Despite flashes of true potential, the end of the 1960s also marked the end of Wreckage. Gigs were few and far between, and while John Taylor, Richard Thompson and Freddie remained in London , Mike Bersin was committed to his college course in Liverpool , as he promised to his parents. Inevitably, the band petered out.

Freddie started to search for another band for himself. He found Sour Milk Sea after seeing a “Vocalist Wanted” advert in the ‘Melody Maker’. The pomp and ceremony were impressive, and the band he was auditioning for knew he was the right man, especially when he got around to singing. Freddie had a great voice, with terrific range. But there was not only his voice that made his performances so attractive to people. “He knew how to front a show,” – Ken Testi recalls. “It was his way of expressing that side of his personality. Everything he did on stage later in Queen, he was doing with Ibex at his first gig. It wasn’t anything that could be developed. It was his charisma, his pure natural gift that was in perfect harmony with his voice, his appearance, his delicate taste and his musicianship in the wide sense of the word. The fact that he realized it himself made him absolutely fascinating!”

They offered him the job, and in late 1969 Freddie became the lead singer with Sour Milk Sea . The other members of the band were Chris Chesney on vocals and guitar, bass player Paul Milan, Jeremy ‘Rubber’ Gallop on rhythm guitar and Rob Tyrell on drums. They did a few rehearsals, and then a few gigs in Oxford (Chris’s home town).

Sour Milk Sea – Freddie is standing on the left side

Freddie and Chris, who was about seventeen at the time, became close friends and Chris moved into the house that Freddie shared with Smile in Ferry Road , Barnes. The other members of Sour Milk Sea were more than a little peeved Chris and Freddie spent so much time together, and felt rather insecure about the future of the band. After just two months Jeremy, who owned nearly all the equipment, derided to take it back and break up the band.

In April 1970 Tim Staffell decided to leave Smile, and Freddie joined them as lead singer. Freddie decided to change the name of the band to Queen, he also changed his last name to Mercury.

The further biography of Freddie Mercury is to considerable degree a story of Queen.

from left to right: John Deacon, Roger Taylor, Brian May, Freddie Mercury

In 1970 Freddie met Mary Austin. They lived together for seven years and remained good friends until his death.

In 1971 John Deacon joined the band and Queen were complete. Freddie designed the band’s logo using their birth signs: two fairies for him (Virgin), two lions for Roger and John (Leo) and a crab for Brian (Cancer). Freddie was the author of the first Queen song that entered the British charts (Seven Seas Of Rhye ), the first big hit (Killer Queen) and the most famous Queen song that was on the top of charts for 9 weeks (Bohemian Rhapsody). Freddie has always been considered the front-man of the band.

In 1975 Queen toured Japan . A crowd of screaming fans followed them everywhere. They were taken by surprise at the strength of their reception. Freddie fell in love with Japan and soon became a fanatical collector of Japanese art and antiquities.

On October 7 th , 1979 Freddie performed with the Royal Ballet. He had never done any ballet before, but it was something he had always wanted to try. The songs he had chosen to perform to were Bohemian Rhapsody and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Songs were played by the orchestra with Freddie doing live vocals. Freddie's first dance was Bohemian Rhapsody, and he performed with skill in front of a packed house of enthusiastic balletomanes, who loved him, and he received a standing ovation for both his cameo performances.

In 1980 Freddie changed his image. He cut his hair and grew a moustache.

At the end of 1982 Queen all agreed they wanted to take break from each other. They announced they wouldn’t be touring throughout 1983. Freddie had been thinking of making a solo album for some time, and at last he had time to do something about it. He booked studio time at Musicland in Munich and began work in early 1983. During that time he was introduced to Georgio Moroder , who was working on a re-release of the 1926 Fritz Lang silent science fiction film Metropolis . He wanted to put a contemporary musical score to the film. He asked Freddie to consider collaborating on a track for the film to which Freddie agreed. He had never before co-written with anyone outside Queen, and had not recorded anyone else's compositions, apart from Larry Lurex . The result of this co-operation was the song Love Kills.

In 1983 Freddie attended a performance of Verdi’s Un Ballo In Maschera at the Royal Opera House sometime in May. It was the first time when he saw Spanish opera diva Montserrat Caballé , and the sheer power and beauty of her voice mesmerized him.

On September 10, 1984 Freddie's first solo single was released. It was the track he had co-written with Georgio Moroder for Metropolis , Love Kills.

The first single from his forthcoming solo album was I Was Born To Love You. It was released on April 9, 1985 . Three weeks later Freddie’s first solo album Mr. Bad Guy was released on CBS Records.

July 13, 1985 was a special day for Queen and Freddie. It was the day of their memorable performance at Live Aid, a tremendous show at Wembley Stadium in front of 72,000 people. Live Aid was also broadcast to over one billion people worldwide. Queen secured their place in history, as every media person, journalist, fan and critic unanimously agreed: Queen stole the show.

The early part of 1987 was very quiet for Queen, so Freddie took the opportunity to go into Townhouse Studios to do some solo work. It resulted in a remake of the classic Platters’ song The Great Pretender. The single was released on February 23 rd .

In March 1987 Freddie flew to Barcelona to meet Montserrat Caballé . He gave her a cassette with two or four songs. The Spanish opera diva liked these songs and even performed one of them at London ’s Covent Garden . Freddie was delighted. In early April, Freddie began work on the album he agreed to record with Montserrat Caballé .

At the end of May the island of Ibiza staged a huge festival at the outrageous Ku Club. Freddie agreed to be a guest of honour and closed the event with Montserrat Caballé singing the song he had written for her and her home city, Barcelona .

On October 8 th , 1988 Freddie and Montserrat appeared at the huge open air La Nit festival in Barcelona . They performed three tracks from their forthcoming album – How Can I Go On, The Golden Boy and Barcelona, accompanied by Mike Moran on piano. The long-awaited album, Barcelona, finally come out on October 10 th .

October 8 th was the last time Freddie Mercury performed on stage. At the time, he was terribly ill with AIDS, although he didn’t want people to know about it. He announced that fact the day before he died. Being ill he continued to compose and record songs and even took part in making videos.

On November 24 th , 1991 Freddie died peacefully at his home in London of AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia.

On April 20 th , 1992 a tribute concert in Freddie’s memory was held at Wembley Stadium, and many famous rock stars took part in it. But the best tribute to Freddie was the album Made In Heaven, released on November 6th, 1995 by the three remaining members of Queen. We can hear the last songs that Freddie composed and recorded.

Thank you Freddie. We love you.

Jacky Gunn & Jim Jenkins. As It Began

© Copyright 2006 - 2013; Daria Kokozej ( Contact Me )

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FREDDIE MERCURY

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in the Stone Town, Sultanate of Zanzibar on September 5, 1946. He was a British singer, songwriter, record producer, and lead vocalist of the English rock band Queen. Freddie Mercury attended English-style boarding schools in India before moving to Middlesex, England in 1964. Freddie Mercury formed Queen with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor in 1970, and were joined by bassist Roger Deacon the following year. Named as one of the greatest frontmen ever, with his multi-octave lungsmith stylings, trademark broken microphone stand and way with a leotard, Freddie helped steer Queen to record-breaking success. Freddie Mercury had already tried a solo career under the name Larry Lurex in 1973, but after Queen had enjoyed a career of chart-topping hits – many written by Mercury – he gave it another go, recording a succession of songs for soundtracks, and the albums Mr Bad Guy and Barcelona, a collaboration with opera singer Montserrat Caballé. Mercury died at the age of 45 on November 24, 1991, at his home in Kensington, London. The cause of death was bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS. Freddie eventually scored a UK Number 1 with a remix of his 1985 song Living On My Own, released posthumously in 1993.

FREDDIE MERCURY Songs stats

Freddie mercury albums stats, freddie mercury news.

Official Singles Chart

LOVE KILLS FREDDIE MERCURY

I WAS BORN TO LOVE YOU FREDDIE MERCURY

MADE IN HEAVEN FREDDIE MERCURY

LIVING ON MY OWN FREDDIE MERCURY

LOVE ME LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW FREDDIE MERCURY

TIME FREDDIE MERCURY

THE GREAT PRETENDER FREDDIE MERCURY

BARCELONA FREDDIE MERCURY AND MONTSERRAT CABALLE

THE GOLDEN BOY FREDDIE MERCURY AND MONTSERRAT CABALLE

HOW CAN I GO ON FREDDIE MERCURY AND MONTSERRAT CABALLE

BARCELONA {1992} FREDDIE MERCURY AND MONTSERRAT CABALLE

IN MY DEFENCE FREDDIE MERCURY

THE GREAT PRETENDER {1993} FREDDIE MERCURY

LIVING ON MY OWN {1993} FREDDIE MERCURY

• Weeks: 13 ,
• Weeks No. 1: 2

Official Albums Chart

MR BAD GUY FREDDIE MERCURY

THE FREDDIE MERCURY ALBUM FREDDIE MERCURY

SOLO FREDDIE MERCURY

THE VERY BEST OF FREDDIE MERCURY SOLO FREDDIE MERCURY

BARCELONA MERCURY & CABALLE

MESSENGER OF THE GODS FREDDIE MERCURY

NEVER BORING FREDDIE MERCURY

Official Singles Chart Update

TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE FREDDIE MERCURY

• Peak: 100 ,

Please note, the data displayed for this chart reflects the title's midweek position only, peak positions on this chart also relate to midweek chart positions. Official Singles Chart Update data available on officialcharts.com goes back to October 2014.

Official Singles Sales Chart

Official singles downloads chart, official physical singles chart.

• Weeks: 10 ,
• Weeks No. 1: 1

Official Albums Chart Update

NEVER BORING - SOLO BOX SET FREDDIE MERCURY

Please note, the data displayed for this chart reflects the title's midweek position only, peak positions on this chart also relate to midweek chart positions. Official Albums Chart Update data available on officialcharts.com goes back to October 2014.

Official Scottish Albums Chart

Official albums sales chart, official album downloads chart, official physical albums chart, official vinyl albums chart, official vinyl singles chart, official record store chart, end of year albums chart, official dvd chart.

LOVER OF LIFE SINGER OF SONGS FREDDIE MERCURY

Official Blu-Ray Chart

Official video chart.

The data displayed for this chart goes back to 1994, however we hope to be able to offer deeper historic information at a future point

Official Music Video Chart

VIDEO COLLECTION FREDDIE MERCURY

THE VIDEO COLLECTION FREDDIE MERCURY

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN FREDDIE MERCURY

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT FREDDIE MERCURY

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Frank Griffin

Freddie Mercury was a great singer and entertainer.

Vytautas Macionis

I'd say greatest

Best Freddie Mercury books 2024: Dive into the life and music of the Queen icon

We take a look through a selection of publications documenting the life and times of much-missed Queen frontman Freddie Mercury

Searching for the best Freddie Mercury books on the market throws up the same issues that seem to surround every globally famous rock star – there are almost too many to choose from.

As you would imagine, some exploring the late Queen frontman’s life are worthwhile reads, others less so, but most of them offer something for fans to get their teeth into, be it a hitherto unknown factoid or a new image of the great man strutting his considerable stuff. 

And following the massive success of the Mercury and Queen film Bohemian Rhapsody – which became the biggest music biopic of all time and scooped an incredible  four Oscars ,  two Golden Globes  and  two BAFTAS – the spotlight has once again fallen on the vocalist's life and career.

We’ve done some extensive reading in order to uncover a number of books about Freddie Mercury that will not only cater for seasoned Queen veterans, but will give newcomers to the band an insight into one of rock's greatest ever frontmen.

Best Freddie Mercury books: Our picks

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1. Freddie Mercury: A Life, In His Own Words by Freddie Mercury

An absorbing read which was compiled by Queen archivist Greg Brooks and film producer Simon Lupton. The book comprises narrative transcripts of interviews that Mercury gave to both print media along with TV and radio, and is set out in a number of chapters that broadly follow the chronology of the singer's legendary career.

Originally published in 2006, the 2019 revised edition of Freddie Mercury: A Life, In His Own Words features text taken from a number of interviews that were unearthed from Queen’s expansive archive that hadn't previously made it into the public eye.  The book includes a heartfelt preface from Mercury's mother Jer Bulsara which adds to the intimacy of the project. 

For a man famously wary of the press, there are some lovely insights to be found here.

2. Freddie Mercury: The Biography by Laura Jackson

Also responsible for the patchy Queen & I , the ‘definitive biography’ of guitarist Brian May, rock biographer Laura Jackson rolls up her sleeves and gets stuck into her task with gusto here. When compared to other books featured, Jackson refreshingly avoids shining a light into the darker and more sordid corners of Mercury’s life, content instead to stick with descriptions of the familiar path of his journey from the small African island of Zanzibar to the stadia of the world.

Freddie Mercury: The Biography is well written and competently-researched, and while it’s unlikely to tell the reader anything radically new about Mercury's life, it's enjoyable nonetheless – especially if you’re after something lighter in tone.

3. Somebody To Love: The Life, Death And Legacy Of Freddie Mercury - by Matt Richards & Mark Langthorne

This excellent book from two highly experienced authors focuses more closely on the horrors of AIDS than many of the other publications on this list and, as such, is a timely reminder of just how terrible the disease is. 

This approach to Mercury’s life and career is fascinating and although much of the band-related info here will be familiar to fans, the fact that the spectre of HIV and AIDS lurks throughout makes for a sobering read. It’s the antithesis to the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic that has been accused of glossing over this part of Mercury's life and, as such, is definitely worth getting hold of.

4. Bohemian Rhapsody: The Definitive Biography of Freddie Mercury by Lesley-Ann Jones

Enjoyment of this controversial book will depend on whether you can stomach Jones’ self-reverential ‘I was there!’ style of writing. Queen guitarist Brian May has publicly disputed her supposed closeness to his former bandmate - most recently on his Instagram page back in 2019 - but the breadth of the contributions Jones has assembled does lend the familiar content some depth. 

The trial of ploughing through pages detailing her boozy experiences as a rock journalist in the 80s is more than balanced by her eminently readable prose, with the chapters concentrating on Mercury’s early life especially absorbing. Definitive? Hardly, but one to check out nonetheless.

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5. Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender, a Life in Pictures by Sean O’Hagan & Richard Gray

This sizeable coffee table book features the musings of respected writer Sean O’Hagan and is sprinkled with images selected by Richard Gray, who oversees Queen’s mammoth picture archive – and we’d suggest that if you’re only going to buy one book on the list, it’s probably this one.

The foreword has been written by Rami Malek, who portrayed Mercury in the smash hit Bohemian Rhapsody biopic – and it's a nice touch. However, even his charms are eclipsed by the slew of baby pictures from the Bulsara family’s days in Zanzibar and, as you turn the pages you find some new images alongside a number that are much more familiar. 

It’ll be Mercury's early life that will attract the most attention, but the whole package is thoroughly engrossing.

6. Mercury and Me: An Intimate Memoir by the Man Freddie Loved by Jim Hutton & Tim Wapshott

The success of the Bohemian Rhapsody film has led to Jim Hutton being painted as something of a baddie in the story of Queen and interest in this undeniably one-sided memoir has certainly rekindled. To be fair though, Mary Austin aside, he was probably as close to a significant other as Mercury ever got, as the book goes to great pains to regularly point out.

Written partly as a cathartic exercise for Hutton, the details contained within are intimate, especially the passages concerning Mercury’s final days, and the 50 or so intensely personal images also included do shed some additional light on their relationship. Definitely worth a look.

7. Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man Who Knew Him Best by Peter Freestone

Peter Freestone was Mercury’s personal assistant between 1980 and 1991, and there’s little doubt that this access to the band’s inner sanctum has given him some telling insights – a number of which are recounted here. It’s utterly fascinating to read about the day-to-day workings of a band of Queen's stature on the road.

The harrowing description of the great man’s very final moments may well be deemed unnecessarily ghoulish, but it’s plain that the two felt a great deal of affection for each other. In addition, if Grand Design-style descriptions of the décor of Freddie’s homes are of any interest, then this is the book for you.

8. Freddie Mercury in New York: Don’t Stop Us Now! by Thor Arnold & Lee Nolan

A personal account of Mercury’s reinvention and his embroilment in New York's gay scene, marked in public by the appearance of the hated/loved moustache in the video for 1980’s Play The Game single. Thor Arnold and Lee Nolan were part of a group that took Mercury under its wing to show him the ropes, as it were, and the resultant book contains convivial tales of the singer enjoying life away from the spotlight.

Also included are some never-before-seen images taken by Nolan at the time and selective though the audience for such a book may seem, it opens the door to a rarely-seen facet of the man’s life.

9. This was the Real Life: The Tale of Freddie Mercury by David Evans & David Minns

David Minns dated Mercury during the mid-70s when Freddie was still coming to terms with his feelings – especially in the wake of his doomed relationship with Mary Austin, and the book does give an insight into the turmoil he was going through.

First published back in 1992, the revised version features relevant sections from Minns’ unfinished memoir of his life and includes excerpts from letters from Mercury alongside pictures that have never been published before. The past tense of the title is poignant to say the least and this is a tale of a love story painfully innocent in its fuzzy closeness.

10. Freddie Mercury A to Z: The Life of an Icon by Steve Wilde and Paul Borchers

A concept that lays out the pivotal moments and characters from Mercury's life in, as the title suggests, an A-Z format – C is for Cats, X is for X-Rated, and so on – and, although accompanied by illustrations from Paul Borchers that are pretty ordinary, the dip-in-and-out appeal is undeniable.

However there are a number of glaring inaccuracies that dispel any authority the book may hope to wield and there’s no possible excuse for vouchsafing, as it does, that Bohemian Rhapsody is the closing track of Queen’s second album. Any real fan will know that it is, of course, the penultimate song of their fourth record A Night At The Opera . Fun but flawed.

11. Freddie Mercury: A Kind of Magic by Mark Blake

With each chapter preceded by a timeline of the period of Mercury’s life that it covers, this is a well-designed and excellently-written book from former Q magazine journalist Mark Blake, and is notable for the amount of detail on offer. 

We are again drawn to Mercury's early years and, thanks to a series of exhaustive interviews with former school chums, the reader can easily imagine what life was like at St Peter’s Boys School in Panchgani, India; who knew Fred was an accomplished boxer?

The high levels of minute detail continue throughout and there is something new to discover on almost every page. Great stuff.

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