Freddie Mercury
Five exciting facts about the Queen legend
Freddie Mercury was only 45 years old.
© imago images / ZUMA Press / Dick Darrell
On November 24th, 30 years ago, a rock music icon died: Queen singer Freddie Mercury. The artist has not been forgotten to this day.
His iconic voice is still unmistakable today, he is a legend of rock music: Freddie Mercury. The composer and singer of the British cult band Queen died on November 24, 1991 – 30 years ago today. The musician, who is only 45 years old, is still unforgettable. Music fans should know these five facts about the exceptional talent:
His origins: Farrokh Bulsara becomes Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar on September 5, 1946. At that time the island was a British protectorate. Mercury’s roots were in India as his family came from there. During his school days in the Indian state of Bombay, he received his nickname Freddie, which he also kept for his later stage name. Until the late 1960s he was still called Freddie Bulsara.
It was not until Queen was founded in 1970 that he replaced his last name with Mercury. What this is all about is not really clear. Queen guitarist Brian May (74) is said to have once stated that the name was based on the song “My Fairy King”. It says: “Mother Mercury / Look what they’ve done to me / I cannot run, I cannot hide”, in German something like “Mother Mercury, look what they have done to me, I cannot run away, I cannot myself hide”. It is said to be Freddie Mercury’s own mother, which is why he finally chose the name Mercury.
His voice and the relationship with classical music
Freddie Mercury’s trademark was not only his extravagant look with a mustache, but also his voice: it spanned four octaves and made him an icon. He was also one of the few rock singers who had a penchant for classical music. Mercury’s main interest was opera. In 1988 he released the album “Barcelona” together with the opera singer Montserrat Caballé (1933-2018). The rocker had previously said on a radio broadcast that Caballé’s voice was the most fascinating of all for him.
Great importance for the LGBTQ community
Freddie Mercury is considered a queer icon these days. And that although he has hardly ever spoken publicly about his sexuality in his life. All that is known is that during his time in Munich he was often out and about in the Glockenbachviertel in the gay scene. The Bavarian capital was his main residence from 1979 to 1985. During these years he had a relationship with a Munich restaurateur.
After returning to London, he was in a relationship with Jim Hutton (1949-2010) from 1985 until his death. In his earlier years, Mercury also had relationships with women. The best known of these is probably Mary Austin (70): With her as a life partner, the singer experienced Queen’s international breakthrough in the 70s. In the mid-1970s, however, the two ended. However, their friendship lasted until Mercury’s death. He allegedly bequeathed a large part of his fortune and his estate in Kensington to Mary Austin.
Excursions with Princess Diana
Freddie Mercury is said to have got along very well with Princess Diana (1961-1997). They supposedly had a lot of fun together, as the British actress Cleo Rocos (59) revealed in her 2013 book “The Power of Positive Drinking”. Mercury, Diana and Rocos are said to have gone to a London gay bar together with comedian Kenny Everett (1944-1995) – Lady Di was dressed in an army jacket, hat and sunglasses. Before that, the four are said to have drank champagne and watched episodes of the TV series “Golden Girls”. According to Rocos’ remarks, Diana was so amused that she said: “We have to do this again!”
“The Show Must Go On”: Freddie Mercury’s Great Legacy
On November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury died of complications from pneumonia. He had been seriously ill with AIDS in previous years. His myth and legacy live on to this day. Almost four years after his death, the Queen album “Made in Heaven” was released. The last recordings of Mercury can be heard on it. In 2018, the celebrated biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” about the artist with Rami Malek (40) in the leading role came into the cinemas.
Even after Mercury’s death, Queen didn’t break up, but instead started new projects, true to their song “The Show Must Go On”. Since 2012, the band around Brian May and Roger Taylor (72) has been on tour regularly with the singer Adam Lambert (39). In 2022 the group will also be coming to Germany for some concerts: In June, Queen will play shows in Berlin, Cologne and Munich.
It is important to the band that the collaboration is always called Queen + Adam Lambert, because the singer should not be a replacement for Freddie Mercury. “Freddie cannot be replaced,” Lambert confirmed himself in 2020 in conversation with the “Spiegel”. “He was unique. It was clear to me from the start that it would not be about taking on his role. Absolutely no one can do that. I see our show more as a celebration and appreciation of his great life’s achievement.”