Freddie Mercury

Musical education

Singer, songwriter and musician Freddie Mercury Farrokh Bulsara was born on September 5, 1946 in Zanzibar, Tanzania. As the frontman of Queen, Freddie Mercury was one of the most talented and innovative singers of the rock era. He spent time at a boarding school in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. , where he studied piano. Soon this charismatic young man joined his first band, the Hectics.

Moving to London with his family in the 1960s, Mercury attended Ealing College of Art. During this time, he became friends with several musicians, including future bandmates drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May. In 1969, Mercury joined a group called Ibex as a vocalist. He played with several other bands before joining forces with Taylor and May. They met bassist John Deacon in 1971 and the quartet & # x2014; whom Mercury dubbed the queen & # x2014; They played their first concert together in June.

Freddie Mercury: Passion for music

School friends led by Freddie created a rock band called “Psychos”.
The children played at all school holidays. After school, the young man returned to his homeland, and soon their island became an independent state. During the transfer of power, riots began, and the entire Bulsara family, hastily gathered, retired to the UK to stay with relatives, and later purchased their own home. At the age of 18, Freddie studied at a polytechnic school, but dreamed of an art college. His mother and father were experiencing financial difficulties, so the guy worked part-time at the London airport and was a warehouse loader. They loved the guy at work and tried to help him in everything. He graduated with the highest scores, and Freddie was accepted into the college of his dreams. The young man meets the famous guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Soon Tim Staffel, who sang and played bass in the band Smile, became his friend. Freddie often attended the band's rehearsals.

Bohemian Rhapsody

with a sound that has been described as a fusion of hard rock and glam rock, Queen achieved even greater success the following year with their album A Night at the Opera (1975). Mercury wrote the song "Bohemian Rhapsody", a seven-minute rock operetta, for the album. Layering his own voice, Mercury showcases an impressive four-octave vocal range on this innovative track. The song reached the top of the charts in Britain and became a Top 10 hit in the United States.

In addition to his talent as a singer-songwriter, Mercury was also an accomplished showman. He knew how to entertain audiences and communicate with them. He loved to wear suits, often with tight-fitting spandex, and would stroll around the stage, encouraging fans to join in the fun. Artistic in nature, Mercury was also heavily involved in designing the art for many of the band's albums.

Compositions

In 1974, the musicians released their first hit - Killer Queen, which immediately made the musicians famous. A year later, their main song appeared, one might say, the calling card of the group - “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which lasts 7 minutes - a record time, despite the fact that the radio accepted compositions of no more than 3 minutes. The song reached the top charts in the UK and became a top 10 hit in the US. It was later voted one of the best songs of the millennium.

In addition to his talents as a singer and songwriter, Mercury was also an accomplished showman. He knew how to entertain the public and how to communicate with them. He loved to wear suits—often tight—and strutted around the stage, encouraging fans to join in the fun. Artistic by nature, Mercury was also heavily involved in designing the covers for many of the band's albums.

Queen's popularity continued to grow in the late 70s and early 80s. "We are the champions", off of News Of The World (1978), became a top 10 hit in the US and UK. They were followed by the next unconditional hit - We will rock you. The group tried to play not only glam rock, but also try their hand at disco, which was completely unusual. With live concerts, Queen continued to attract huge crowds around the world.

One of their most notable performances took place in 1985 at the Live Aid charity concert, organized to help famine in Africa. Dressed in a simple white tank top and jeans, Mercury led the crowd through some of the band's greatest hits with great energy and style. He caused thousands of music fans at London's Wembley Stadium to chant: "We will rock you." For many who watched the event live or on TV, Queen gave one of the best performances of the day. Many fans admitted that the group's performance was one of the best and brightest in their career.

In addition to his work with Queen, Mercury has released several solo albums. He also collaborated with opera singer Montserrat Caballe.

Behind the scenes, Freddie was open about his bisexuality, but kept his relationship a secret. He also lived a luxurious lifestyle. He loved champagne and collected art, once spending over four hundred thousand dollars on handmade china. Mercury always threw parties and lavish celebrations; For one birthday, he sent a group of friends to the island of Ibiza. The holiday was celebrated with fireworks and flamenco dancing.

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

We are champions

Queen continued to grow until the late 70s and early 80s. “We Are the Champions,” from News of the World (1978), reached the top ten in the US and UK. It was featured on the single from "We Will Rock You" & # x2014; Both songs became their own popular anthems played at sporting events. Queen, while constantly exploring new and different sounds, also tried their hand at the big music trend of the time, with the disco-flavored "Another One Bites the Dust" in 1980. On the same album, The Game (1980), Mercury and the rest of the band showed themselves as rockabilly-influenced performers with "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", which Mercury wrote.

Freddie Mercury, biography, news, photos

Name: Freddie Mercury
Real name: Farrukh Balsara

Birthday: September 5, 1946

Place of birth: Zanzibar, Tanzania

Date of death: November 24, 1991 (age 45)

Cause of death: find out AIDS

Burial location: find out Kensal Green Cemetery, London

Eastern horoscope: Dog

Musical projects: Queen

Live Aid Performance

As a live act, Queen continued to draw huge crowds around the world. One of their most notable performances took place in 1985 at the Live Aid charity concert. Dressed simply 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 thousands of music fans at London's Wembley Stadium singing along to "We Will Rock You." For many who watched the event live or on TV, Queen gave one of the best performances of the day, which was organized by singer and activist Bob Geldof and composer Midge Ure to raise money for victims of famine in Africa. Inspired by this event, the group wrote the hit "One Vision".

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

Freddie Mercury and music

The group, which had become popular, went on tour in Japan, and Freddie became a fan of this country.
After performing together with the Royal Ballet, the group members went on vacation. While the friends were relaxing, Mercury began preparing for his solo album. He went to Munich, made acquaintance with the famous composer Giorgio Moroder, as a result of which another song was born that gained popularity among listeners. When fate gave him the opportunity to attend the opera Un ballo in Masquerade, the singer was stunned by the vocal abilities of the opera singer from Spain Montserrat Caballe. Freddie received inspiration for creativity and hits began to appear one after another. The group Freddie worked with was lucky. They appeared on world television, which gained them fans of 75 thousand viewers.

Mercury soon separated from the musicians with whom he had shared a long creative path. The Spanish opera diva who once inspired him liked the solo album, and they began working together with Montserrat Caballe.

Was Freddie Mercury gay?

behind the scenes, Mercury was open about his bisexuality, but he kept his relationships private. He also lived a lavish lifestyle. He loved champagne and enjoyed collecting art, once spending more than $400,000 on a set of hand-painted china. Always alone at a party, Mercury threw elaborate celebrations; For one particular birthday, he flew a group of friends to the island of Ibiza. The occasion was marked with fireworks and flamenco dancing.

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

Childhood, family of Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury (The real name of the singer is Farrukh Bulsara.) He was born on the island of Zanzibar. Freddie's parents were Parsi; his father was a cashier at the English Supreme Court. Farrukh had a younger sister, Kashmira. The boy was sent to school in Panchgani, and he lived with his grandfather and aunt. His name meant "beautiful" but was very awkward to pronounce by English speakers. It was easier for friends to call their classmate Freddie. Freddie fell in love with music as soon as he heard the performance of the popular Bollywood singer Lata Mangeshkar. Further, his biography was predetermined. He preferred several sports in which he achieved good results. When he was 10 years old, Freddie managed to become a champion in table tennis, and at the age of 12 he won the cup in the all-around youth competition. The boy studied well, he had a diploma for his achievements in science and art. Freddie was a great painter. Performances and choral singing at school were not complete without his participation. Music filled all the student’s free time, which was noticed by the school principal. The boy was offered piano lessons for a nominal fee. After graduating from school, the parents were satisfied with their son’s musical success.

Death from AIDS

On November 23, 1991, Mercury released a statement: “I wish to confirm that I have been tested for HIV and have AIDS. I felt it was right to keep this information secret for today to protect the privacy of those around me. It is time for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope everyone will join my doctors and all people all over the world in the fight against this terrible disease." The next day, Freddie Mercury died of AIDS. bronchial pneumonia in his London mansion. He was only 45 years old.

Longtime friend and bandmate Roger Taylor has provided some insight into Mercury's decision to keep his battle with AIDS a secret. He didn't want to be seen as an object of pity and curiosity, and he didn't want vultures circling over his head,” Taylor said, according to a report in Entertainment Weekly. The rock world is mourning the loss of one of its most versatile and captivating artists.

To honor his memory, a Tribute to Freddie Mercury: AIDS Awareness Concert took place in April 1992 at Wembley Stadium. Rock acts ranging 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, returned to the pop charts, illustrating his timeless appeal.

Before his death, Mercury did some studio work with Queen. These efforts were released in 1995 on Made In Heaven, the band's final album with all of Mercury's original operatic masterpiece Bohemian Rhapsody returning to the popular charts, illustrating their timeless appeal.

Before his death, Mercury did some studio work with Queen. These efforts were released in 1995 on Made In Heaven, the band's final album with all original embers. Gone but certainly not forgotten, this collection of Mercury's final performances reached the top of the UK charts. In 2001, Mercury and the rest of the band received special recognition for their contributions to American music history when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The further fate of Freddie Mercury

Freddie's biography persistently led the future star along the path of music. At the age of 23, he completed his studies and received a diploma in graphic design. This skill of his as an artist was useful in making money in the store he and his friend Roger Taylor opened. The Liverpool group Ibex, with whom Freddie became close, accepted him into their ranks with all the songs he composed. The young man’s voice and performance captivated all the castings at which he demonstrated his vocal abilities. There were changes in the Smile group, and at this time Freddie became friends with guitarist Chris Chesney, and the position of the vocalist soon became vacant, where Freddie moved. The group received its new name, it was born again. Now Queen had its own coat of arms, which combined the intricate plexus of the zodiac signs of the band members.

And Freddie himself took a sonorous pseudonym, consisting of two words: Mercury and mercury. Songs performed by the new team members began to gain popularity and became hits. Queen accompanied her songs with video clips, which became revolutionary in this field of musical art.

Childhood and youth

Farrukh, which translates as “lucky” in Farsi, Bulsara was born on September 5, 1946 in Stone Town on the island of Zanzibar. Now it is part of the Republic of Tanzania, and in those years Zanzibar was a “puppet” state under the auspices of the British Empire.

His father Bomi was an accountant at the Supreme Court of England and Wales and earned good money, so the family did not need for anything. Mother, Jer Bulsara, was raising children: Farrukh and his six-year-younger sister Kashmira.

Childhood and youth (1946—1964)

Freddie Mercury was born on September 5, 1946 in Stone Town, the oldest district of the city of Zanzibar on the island of the same name, into a Parsi family from Gujarat - Bomi (12/14/1908 - 12/25/2003) and Jer (09/29/1922 - 11/13/2016) Bulsara[12][ 13]. At birth, the boy received the name Farrukh (in translation from Persian - “beautiful”, “happy”). His father worked as a cashier at the Supreme Court of England and Wales; his surname, Bulsara, comes from the name of the city of Valsad, north of Bombay.[13] In 1952, Farrukh had a sister, Kashmira[13].

In 1954, his parents sent 8-year-old Farrukh to India, to St. Peter's School in the city of Panchgani, 150 kilometers from Bombay[14]. At that time, the Bollywood singer Lata Mangeshkar had a significant formative influence on him from a musical point of view.[15] In Panchgani, the boy began to live with his grandfather and aunt[16]. Already at school, Farrukh began to call himself Freddie and became interested in rock and roll.

All sports at St. Peter's School were typically British. Freddie didn't like cricket or long-distance running - he preferred field hockey, sprinting and boxing[13]. At the age of ten he became the school champion in table tennis, at the age of twelve he received a cup for victory in the youth all-around, as well as a diploma “for excellence in all sciences and arts.” Freddie showed interest in music and painting, and constantly made drawings for friends and relatives. He also sang in the school choir and took part in stage plays.

From an early age he was interested in music and singing, sometimes to the detriment of his studies. The principal of St. Peter's School drew attention to Freddie's musical abilities. He wrote a letter to the boy's parents in which he offered to organize piano lessons for Freddie for a small fee.[17] The parents agreed, and Freddie began to study with enthusiasm. Upon completion of his studies, he received a fourth degree in theory and practice (English: Piano Grade IV).

In 1958, five friends from St. Peter's School - Freddie Bulsara, Derrick Branch, Bruce Murray, Farang Irani and Victor Rana - created their first rock band, which they called The Hectics (Russian: Consumptives).[13][18] The group played mostly rock and roll at school functions, dances and anniversaries.

In 1962, 16-year-old Bulsara, having failed his final examination, left St. Peter's School in Panchgani and returned to Zanzibar. On December 10, 1963, the state independence of Zanzibar from Great Britain was proclaimed. And at the beginning of 1964, the anti-feudal Zanzibar Revolution took place in Zanzibar, as a result of which Sultan Seyid Jamshid ibn Abdullah was overthrown from the throne and expelled from the country, which marked the end of the existence of the sultanate (the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba was proclaimed). Due to political unrest in the country, the Bulsara family, taking only two suitcases with clothes, flew to the UK.

On the eve of fame (1964-1970)

Arriving in England, the Bulsara family first stayed with relatives who lived in Feltham, Middlesex, then they bought their own house. Freddie, who was eighteen years old at the time, first attended Islesworth Polytechnic School, where he studied mainly painting, as he wanted to go to art college.

The family had money problems, so Bulsara worked part-time during the holidays. He first worked as a packer in the supply department of Heathrow Airport in London, then as a loader at the Feltham warehouse.[19]

In May 1966, having graduated from Islesworth with a high score in painting, Bulsara was interviewed at Ealing College of Art in London, where he began studying graphic illustration in the autumn of that year.

Soon after, he left his parents' home and moved into a rented flat in Kensington with his friend Chris Smith. Kensington in those years was the heart of London bohemia and art. Freddie drew a lot, and his idol, guitarist Jimi Hendrix (whose concerts he once went to nine nights in a row) occupied a special place in his drawings.[13] In Ealing, Freddie met and became friends with Tim Staffel, vocalist, bass guitarist and leader of the band Smile. After some time, Tim began to invite Freddie to the band's rehearsals. Freddie appreciated the potential of Smile, especially the playing of guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Freddie also met other young aspiring musicians such as Tim and Nigel Foster. Chris Smith, his flatmate, was also into music. Freddie and Chris played together, trying to mix different styles, but did not go on stage.

In the summer of 1969, twenty-three-year-old Freddie graduated from Ealing College with a diploma in fine art and design.[13] Freddie's dissertation was entirely based on the work of Hendrix[13].

On August 13, Freddie met the Liverpool band Ibex

.
The band consisted of guitarist Mike Berzin, bass player John Taylor, nicknamed Tupp, drummer Mick Smith, nicknamed Miffer (from the English miff - “get angry”, “spoil the mood”) and another bass player Jeff Higgins, who replaced Tupp, when he played the flute. Their manager Ken Testi was with them. Ten days after the meeting, Freddie already knew the entire repertoire of the group, added a few of his songs and went with them to their first joint concert, in Bolton, Lancashire. Their concerts took place as part of the annual blues festival, so the events were covered by the press. Ibex
concerts took place on August 23 at the Octagon Theater and on August 25 at Queen's Park. “Ibex” performed cover versions of songs by Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin—Freddie’s favorites.

In September-October 1969, at Freddie's suggestion, the group was renamed Wreckage

("Shipwreck")
After a short time, Miffer left the group, and his place was taken by Richard Thompson, ex-drummer of the group “1984”, in which Brian May played before Smile
[13].
After renaming, Wreckage
gave several concerts, but soon, largely due to the fact that Mike Berzin returned to Liverpool to study, the group broke up.

Freddie decided to find himself a new group. Among the advertisements in Melody Maker, he found a vacancy as a vocalist in the group Sour Milk Sea. Freddie came to the audition and was accepted on the same day, as the other participants liked his voice and way of moving. The band consisted of vocalist-guitarist Chris Chesney, bassist Paul Milne, rhythm guitarist Jeremy "Rubber" Gallop and drummer Rob Tyrell. After several rehearsals, the group played a couple of concerts in Oxford, Chris's hometown.

Freddie and Chris became friends, and soon Chris moved into the apartment where Freddie and the musicians from Smile lived. The remaining members of Sour Milk Sea did not like their friendship, citing concern for the future of the group. As a result, after two months, Jeremy took almost all the equipment (since it belonged to him), and this was the end of the existence of Sour Milk Sea.

Queen (1970-1991)

1970—1982

In April 1970, Tim Staffel decided to leave the group Smile, and Freddie took the place of vocalist in their project. On his initiative, the group was renamed “Queen”[13]. The following year, Queen opened for Yes[13].

Until February 1971, the group did not have a permanent bass player - in less than a year, Queen replaced three people. Finally, at one of the music parties, they met John Deacon, whose abilities best suited the group professionally. After this, Queen formed their final line-up.

After the group's composition became permanent, Freddie decided to draw its coat of arms. According to one version, the coat of arms of Great Britain was taken as a basis, with the Latin letter Q, around which the zodiac signs of the Queen members are “woven”: two Leos - John Deacon and Roger Taylor, a crab crawling out of the fire - the sign of Cancer - Brian May. Two fairies with wings are kind helpers for the heroes from the British epic (Freddie’s zodiac sign is also Virgo).

In 1972, during the recording of Queen's debut album at Trident studio, Freddie decided to change his surname Bulsara to the creative pseudonym "Mercury" (English: Mercury - "Mercury", in honor of his patron planet[13]). He used this name in his song "My Fairy King", which contains the lines: "Mother Mercury, look what they've done to me, I cannot run I cannot hide" (Russian: Mother Mercury , look what they did to me, I can't run, I can't hide)[20]. In parallel with work on the first album - “ Queen”

— Freddie took part in the project under the pseudonym Larry Lurex, performing cover versions of the songs “I Can Hear Music” and “Going Back” (at the initiative of Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor were involved in this project).

Freddie wrote the first Queen song to hit the British charts, “Seven Seas of Rhye” (1973). He also composed the group’s first hit, “Killer Queen” (1974), as well as Queen’s most successful composition, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The song was predicted to fail due to its length being too long by the standards of that time for a single and for playback on commercial radio stations (5:55) and mixing several styles and genres of music. But Queen released the song as a single and filmed a video clip for it, which became a revolution in music videos, some even call it “the first video clip”[21], although clips for songs had been shot before[22]. The song stayed at the top of the British charts for nine weeks. Mercury understood her eccentricity and enjoyed it[13]:

On every album we allow ourselves a little extra. But that's what Queen is all about. At a certain moment we understand that we want to cross the boundaries of what is permitted. This is what makes us move forward. If we put out another album and people listen to it and say, “It's like Sheer Heart Attack.”

Sheer Heart Attack
is still a little better,” I’ll give it all up. True, I will do just that.

Freddie in 1977
In 1975, Queen toured Japan. The musicians were extremely surprised by the warm reception of the band's Japanese fans. Brian May recalled:

We had some success in England and the US, but we had never seen such fanaticism and adoration before. Suddenly in Japan we began to feel like real stars, like The Beatles and the Bay City Rollers, people greeted us with cries of delight, which was news to us[23].

Freddie fell in love with Japan and became a fanatical collector of Japanese art.[24]

On October 7, 1979, Freddie's long-time dream came true - he performed with the Royal Ballet. For his performance, he chose the songs “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”

In 1980, Freddie changed his image - he cut his hair short and grew a mustache. A number of negative articles about the group at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s embittered the musicians[13]. In an interview with David Wigg in 1984, Mercury spoke about the weight of his own stage image and how difficult it is, having been at the zenith of fame, to prove to others that you are an ordinary person.[13]

Solo career and peak of fame as a member of Queen (1983-1988)

Queen in Argentina, 1981
At the end of 1982, Queen announced that there would be no tours next year and the group was going on vacation. Freddie Mercury has long been mulling over the idea of releasing a solo album and now the opportunity has arisen for this. At the beginning of 1983, he began recording at Musicland Studios in Munich. During this time, he met composer Giorgio Moroder, who was involved in a project to restore Fritz Lang's 1926 silent science fiction film Metropolis. Moroder was brought in as a composer to create a contemporary-style score for the film. He invited Mercury to take part in this project. The result of the collaboration between Mercury and Moroder was the song “Love Kills”, released on September 10, 1984.

At the end of May 1983, Freddie Mercury attended Verdi's opera Un ballo in maschera. Here he first saw and heard the outstanding Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballe. The extraordinary beauty and power of her voice made a huge impression on him.

Mercury at a concert in Frankfurt, Germany, 1984

The first single of Mercury's future solo album Mr. Bad Guy

became the song "I Was Born to Love You", released on April 9, 1985.
The album was released three weeks later through CBS Records. Subsequently, two songs from this album - "Made in Heaven" and "I Was Born to Love You" - were re-recorded by Queen for the album Made in Heaven
, released in 1995.

July 13, 1985 was a special day for Queen and Freddie[13] - on this day the Live Aid concert took place - a grand show at Wembley Stadium, where 75 thousand spectators and many famous performers such as Elton John, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Black Sabbath, Sting, and many others (parallel to the show at Wembley there was a concert in Philadelphia). The concert was broadcast on television all over the world. Queen's performance was recognized as one of the best and returned them to the status of a spectacular and brilliant rock band; in Britain they even issued a special stamp with an image of Mercury (and a barely visible Taylor in the background)[13].

A year later, on July 12, 1986, Queen performed again at Wembley as part of the Magic Tour in support of the album A Kind of Magic.

.
This concert was attended by over 120,000 people and was later published as Queen at Wembley
. The final show of the tour at Knebworth on 9 August was Queen's last performance with Mercury.

On February 23, 1987, Freddie Mercury released the single "The Great Pretender" (a cover version of a song by The Platters, recorded at Townhouse Studios). He also recorded two songs for the musical Time

1986 - the self-titled “Time” and “In My Defense”.

In March 1987, Freddie Mercury met with Montserrat Caballe in Barcelona at the Ritz Hotel and gave her a cassette with several of his new songs. These songs made a strong impression on Caballe, and she even performed one of them, to the surprise of Freddie Mercury, at a concert in London, in Covent Garden.

In early April 1987, Mercury and Caballe began work on a joint album. At the end of May, a music festival was held at the famous Ku Club on the island of Ibiza, where Mercury and Caballe were guests of honor. They performed the song “Barcelona” at the festival, which Freddie Mercury dedicated to his hometown of Caballe. On October 8, 1988, at the La Nit festival in Barcelona, Mercury and Caballe had their second joint performance - they performed three songs: “Golden Boy”, “How Can I Go On” and “Barcelona”. Co-writer of these songs Mike Moran performed the piano parts for these songs. This performance was Freddie Mercury's last appearance in front of the public. By this time, the musician was already seriously ill with AIDS.

Album Barcelona

released October 10, 1988. The album's title track, "Barcelona", was one of two anthems for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona (the other being "Amigos Para Siempre" by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black, performed by Sarah Brightman and José Carreras).

See also: List of Freddie Mercury singles

Illness and death (1986-1991)

Queen at the BRIT Awards in 1990.
This is also Freddie's last public appearance. In 1986, rumors began to appear that Freddie Mercury had AIDS. Initially, information was leaked to the press that he had taken an HIV test. Since 1989, serious changes in Mercury's appearance began to appear - he lost a lot of weight. However, until the last days of his life, the musician denied all rumors regarding his health. Only close people knew about his diagnosis. The true cause of the disease in Mercury still remains unknown [ source not specified 642 days

In 1989, Queen gave their first joint radio interview in several years, where they announced that they wanted to deviate from the usual album-tour pattern, and therefore would not go on tour this time. The real reason was that the physical condition of the band's vocalist did not allow him to hold concerts.

Mercury, knowing that there was little time left, tried to record as many songs as possible. In the last years of his life, in addition to his solo album Barcelona, the musician managed to record songs for three more albums of the group. During his lifetime, two albums were released - The Miracle

, which came out in 1989 and
Innuendo
, which came out in 1991.
Also, several video clips were shot for the songs of these albums. For the Innuendo
, some videos were shot in black and white to disguise the physical condition of the vocalist.
Made in Heaven,
in 1995 . On November 23, 1991, Mercury made an official statement that he was sick with HIV infection:

“Given the rumors circulating in the press over the past two weeks, I want to confirm that my blood test showed the presence of HIV. I have AIDS. I considered it necessary to keep this information secret in order to preserve the peace of my family and friends. However, the time has come to tell the truth to my friends and fans around the world. I hope everyone will join the fight against this terrible disease."[25]

He also ordered the transfer of all rights to the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" to the Terence Higgins Foundation, created to combat HIV and AIDS. The next day, November 24, at about seven o'clock in the evening, Freddie Mercury died at the age of 45 in his home in London from bronchopneumonia, which developed against the background of HIV infection and AIDS.

Freddie Mercury's funeral was held closed - only family and friends were present. Although the musician no longer followed Zoroastrian beliefs as an adult,[26] his Zoroastrian parents conducted a funeral ceremony in accordance with their beliefs, with the exception of cremation of the body, which is not encouraged by Zoroastrian customs. Peter Freestone, Freddie Mercury's personal assistant, described the ceremony as follows:

Freddie's coffin was carried into the chapel to the sounds of Aretha Franklin's song "You've Got a Friend." The Zoroastrian rite that followed was a continuation of the ceremony that began at half past nine in the morning. Two Parsi priests, robed in white, officiated at the funeral chapel of John Nods and Sons Funeral Home in Ladbok Grove. <…> At the end of the service, Freddie’s body left the world accompanied by the voice of Montserrat Caballe, who performed the aria “D'Amor Sull' Ali Rosee” from Verdi’s opera “Il Trovatore”. Freddie never aspired to be like everyone else - such adieu was just in his spirit, and Freddie would have approved of it[26].

Freddie Mercury's body was cremated. Only his family and Mary Austin know where the musician's ashes rest - that was his wish[27][28]. At the beginning of 2013, The Daily Mirror reported that the resting place of the artist's ashes had been discovered by fans - this is Kensal Green Cemetery in West London[29]. However, this is not so - the discovered place is just a cenotaph with a memorial plaque dedicated to Freddie Mercury placed on it by an unknown person. The sign disappeared a few weeks after the news was published[30]. The actual location of the burial of the ashes is unknown.

In his will, Freddie Mercury left most of his estate, including the mansion and income from his record sales, to Mary Austin, as well as to his parents and sister. In addition, 500 thousand pounds were bequeathed to his chef Joe Fanelli, personal assistant Peter Freestone, Jim Hutton, and his personal driver Terry Giddings - 100 thousand[27]. Jim Hutton returned to Ireland in 1995, where he died on January 1, 2010 from lung cancer.

Posthumous fame

Mercury
was and still is one of the most popular performers in the entire world. His stage images and eccentric behavior on stage are known even to people far from music. On April 20, 1992, the remaining members of Queen Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, along with many of the world's pop and rock stars, gave a concert at Wembley Stadium in memory of Freddie, the proceeds of which, amounting to £19,400,000, were directed to AIDS funds. Made in Heaven was released on November 6, 1995

with recordings made during the spring sessions at Dreamland Studios in Montreux in 1991.

On November 25, 1996, 5 years after the death of Freddie Mercury, a monument to him was unveiled in Montreux (Switzerland), where the musician worked and rested for many years. Queen originally planned to erect a monument in London, and for four years they looked for a place there for it, but they were refused. The only location proposed for the monument in London by the government was the backyard of the art college where Freddie studied. Friends considered this an insult to the memory of the great musician. June 18, 2003 in London near the Dominion Theater, where productions of the show We Will Rock You

, another monument about 8 meters high was unveiled[31].

The name Freddie Mercury has become a kind of brand in music, synonymous with rock of the 1980s. Many modern singers take Freddie's image and performing style as a model, but no one has yet managed to achieve the same success that Freddie Mercury and Queen were able to achieve during their 20 years of collaboration.

Sculptor Irena Sedlecka. Freddie monument in Montreux

The song "Bohemian Rhapsody", written by Freddie, was voted "Best Song of the Millennium" by The Official Charts Company[32]. Freddie's second equally famous song was and remains "We Are The Champions", which was in rotation on almost all US radio stations, not to mention the fact that this composition became the unofficial anthem of the winners of major sporting competitions.

On September 5, 2021, an asteroid from the main asteroid belt was named in honor of Freddie Mercury[33].

In 2021, the film “Bohemian Rhapsody” was released, where the image of the great singer was embodied by Rami Malek. The actor received an Oscar for this role.