Freddie mercury eurovision. Freddie Mercury, the vocalist of the rock band Queen, was born seventy years ago. Freddie Mercury's personal life
The publication notes that a commemorative plaque was found at the cemetery with the inscription In Loving Memory of Farrokh Bulsara. It also bore the inscription in French Pour être toujours près de toi avec tout mon amour (To be with you forever with all my love). Such tablets are installed in cemeteries in Britain on special pedestals.
Farukh Bulsara is the name given to Freddie Mercury at birth, which he later changed in 1971, when the Queen group was created.
The plaque is also adorned with the monogram M, which fans believe is related to the singer's mistress Mary Austin. Mary got the house of Freddie Garden Lodge in 1991, when the artist died of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome at the age of 45. It was previously believed that she received the ashes of Mercury after the cremation of his body, however Austin never stated what she did with the remains of the singer.
One of The Queen's fans noted: "Everyone knows that Freddie's body was cremated on Kensal Green, but until now it was a complete mystery where his ashes found peace."
According to a number of studies, Freddie's ashes were placed in the cemetery columbarium within a year after cremation. The discovery of the memorial plaque turned out to be a breakthrough in the study of the singer's biography.
It is worth noting that in 1994, ex-mercury lover Jim Hutton stated that, according to his information, his ashes were scattered near Garden Lodge in Kensington, at the roots of a large weeping cherry tree (apparently, Cerasus subhirtella, also known as shaggy cherry) that hangs over the entire garden.
Before the incident, several places were called the last resting place of Mercury. According to one version, his ashes were scattered in Zanzibar, in the Stone City, where the singer was born. According to another, the ashes could be scattered over Lake Geneva, near which Freddie lived.
Earlier it was reported that 2007 Eurovision participant Andrei Danilko says that the British group Freddie Mercury will leave it in the UK for the Queen Museum
After all, no one will argue with the fact that over the past 15 years the world has not generated idols of the level of “queens”, “rollings” or “Beatles”. Without young blood, the pop industry is going through a clear decay: there are many new groups, even too much, and by and large there is nothing to listen to. Therefore, concerts of old men - dashing seventies are invariably popular and are accompanied by admiring exclamations. Although, to be honest, it is not very pleasant to look at elderly people with guitars covered with leather.
Queen's concert in Moscow cannot be perceived as something else. First, the people were shown what Queen is without Freddie Mercury. As you know, after Freddie's death in 1991, the “queens” were looking for new forms of existence on stage for themselves for several years, they sang with both George Michael and Robbie Williams. In 1995 bassist John Deacon left the Queen, arguing that he saw no reason to continue further, since Freddie could not be replaced. But Brian May and Roger Taylor continue, and their most successful move turns out to be a collaboration with the popular rock singer of the 70s Paul Rogers. The group performs under the pseudonym Queen + Paul Rogers.
So, on September 15-16, two identical Queen + Paul Rogers concerts took place in Moscow. In the first part of the concert program, Paul honestly sang the old Queen hits, from which the people on the dance floor were beating in ecstasy. But according to the voice data, Paul is ashamed to compare with Freddie, so the fans rather enjoyed their own singing - the audience sang all the old songs by heart. The frontman of the group was not the lead singer, but the guitarist Brian May. His guitar was heard much louder than Rogers' voice. There was a feeling that May's guitar was playing the part of Freddie, and the vocalist as such was present on the stage as a prompter, so that people in the hall would not forget the words.
The second part of the concert turned out to be acoustic. Rogers, May, and Taylor took turns performing. May was the first to talk about Mercury, to whom he dedicated the performance of the song “Love of my life”. At this lyrical moment, a real hysteria happened in the hall - people were crying out loud. The audience was cured of tears by cheerful country music, from which the concert smoothly flowed into its third part - the performance of songs by Paul Rogers. Before it began, May apologized for the bad songs the new soloist would play. The people received Rogers surprisingly warmly. During his boring harmonica songs, tomatoes did not fly onto the stage. The people were grateful to Rogers at least for the fact that cooperation with him gives Queen the opportunity to travel around the world with full-fledged concerts, although this option smacks of a surrogate. It's all the same that the Beatles would have arrived with a new soloist instead of John Lennon, or, at worst, the Time Machine would give concerts without Andrei Makarevich. But this is a natural phenomenon for the time of the surrogate in which we live.
KEYBOARD PINK FLOYD DIED
The news of the death of another seventies man - Richard Wright - saddened the world on September 15. Keyboardist Pink Floyd died of cancer that day in his London home. The musician was 65 years old. The disease developed so quickly that medicine could not help, according to British media. Relatives of Richard are asked to respect their grief and not to disturb at such a moment, refusing to comment.
Before his death, Richard worked on a solo album, which he never finished. Recently, the press has been actively discussing the possibility of reviving the legendary group. But her former guitarist Dave Gilmour said a few days ago that it was impossible. Now this is really impossible. Gilmore hardly imagined his words would be so prophetic.
PASSIONS AROUND EUROVISION
After all the scandals and disappointments associated with the results of the audience vote at the Eurovision Song Contest, desperate attempts are being made to return the confidence of music critics and the public to this contest.
It was reported that this year, in addition to voting by TV viewers, a special jury vote will be introduced, as it was before 1997. Read more in “ZD” on Friday.
Freddie Mercury (English Freddie Mercury, real name Farukh Balsar, Guj. ફારોખ બલ્સારા;
September 5, 1946, Stone City, Zanzibar - November 24, 1991, London, UK) - British singer and musician of Parsian origin, vocalist of the rock band Queen.
(29 photos total)
Freddie Mercury was born on September 5, 1946 on the island of Zanzibar in the family of Bomi Parsis (1908 - 12/25/2003) and Jer (09/29/1922 -?) Balsara. At birth, the boy received the name Farukh, which means "beautiful", "happy". Farukh's father worked as a cashier at The Supreme Court England and Wales (eng.).
In 1952, Freddie had a sister, Kashmir. In 1954, Farukh's parents assigned Farukh to St. Peter's School in Panchgani, 500 kilometers from Bombay. There Freddie began to live with his grandfather and aunt. The name "Farukh" was inconvenient for his classmates (mostly English-speaking), so his friends began to call him Freddie.
At the age of ten, he became the champion of the school in table tennis, at the age of twelve he received a trophy for victory in youth all-around, as well as a certificate "for excellence in all sciences and arts." Freddie studied well, 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 performances.
From an early age, Freddie was fond of music. Singing occupied almost all of him free time, sometimes to the detriment of classes. The director 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 courses for Freddie for a small fee. The parents agreed, and Freddie began to study with enthusiasm. Upon completion of his studies, he received the fourth degree in theory and practice (English Piano Grade IV).
In 1958, five friends from St. Peter's School - Freddie Balsara, Derrick Branche, Bruce Murray, Farang Irani and Victor Rana formed their first rock band, which they called The Hectics. The group played at school parties, dances and anniversaries. Since childhood, Freddie was always ashamed of his unusual teeth and therefore, when he smiled, covered his mouth with his hand. He retained this habit even when he became an adult ...
In 1962, sixteen-year-old Freddie graduated from St. Peter's School in Panchgani and returned to Zanzibar. In early 1964, the British government handed Zanzibar over to the Arab Sultan, and a week after that, Zanzibar was declared an independent state. In connection with the political unrest in the country, the Balsara family, taking only two suitcases with clothes, flew to Great Britain.
Arriving in England, the Balsar family first stayed with relatives who lived in Feltham, Middlesax County, then they bought their own house. Freddie, who by that time was eighteen years old, entered Islesworth Polytechnic School, where he was mainly engaged in painting, as he wanted to go to art college. The family had money problems, so during the holidays Freddie had to earn extra money. He first worked in the supply department at Heathrow Airport in London, then as a loader at Feltham's warehouse.
In May 1966, after graduating from Islesworth with a high score in painting, he was interviewed at Ealing Art College in London, where he began studying at the Department of Graphic Illustration in the fall of the same year. Soon after that, Freddie left his parental home and settled in rented apartment in Kensington with his friend Chris Smith. Kensington in those years was the heart of London's bohemia and art. Freddie drew a lot, a special place in his drawings was occupied by his idol - guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
In the summer of 1969, 23-year-old Freddie graduated from Ealing with a degree in graphic design. Soon Freddie moved in with Roger Taylor, and they opened a shop in Kensington Market, where they sold both Freddie's paintings and other goods. On August 13, Freddie met with the Liverpool band Ibex. Ten days after the meeting, Freddie already knew the entire repertoire of the group, added several of his songs and went with them to their first joint concert, in Bolton, Lancashire. Their concerts were held as part of the annual blues festival, so the events were covered by the press.
In September-October 1969, at Freddie's suggestion, the group was renamed Wreckage, and Freddie went for a trick to convince everyone to change the name of the group. After the renaming, Wreckage gave several concerts, but soon, largely due to the fact that Mike Berzin returned to Liverpool to study, the group disbanded. Freddie decided to find himself a new group. Among the ads in Melody Maker, he found a vacancy for a vocalist in the group Sour Milk Sea, but soon the existence of Sour Milk Sea ended.
At the end of 1969, Freddie Mercury in West Kensington met Mary Austin, with whom he lived for about seven years, thanks to Brian May. But then they parted. Once everything changed when Freddie admitted that he had to tell her something very important; something that will change their relationship forever. Mary explains: “I was a little naive and it took me a while to realize the truth. In the end, he was glad he told me he was bisexual. " Mary decided it was time to leave, but he convinced her not to go far.
They remained close friends, Mercury made her his personal secretary, and often confessed that Mary was his only true friend. In an interview in 1985, Mercury said: “All my lovers ask me why they cannot replace Mary for me. But this is simply not possible. She is my only friend and I don't need anyone else. She was actually my wife. We believe in each other, and that's enough for me. " The singer dedicated several songs to Mary, of which the most significant is the song "Love of My Life". Mercury was the godfather of Mary's eldest son, Richard, and left his mansion to her after his death.
In April 1970 Tim Staffel decided to leave Smile, and Freddie took the place of vocalist in their group. On his initiative, the group was renamed Queen. After the composition of the group became permanent, Freddie decided to draw her coat of arms. According to one of the versions, the coat of arms of Great Britain was taken as a basis, with the Latin letter Q, around which the zodiacal signs of Queen members are "interwoven": two Leos - John Deacon and Roger Taylor, a crab emerging from the fire - the sign of Cancer - Brian May. Above all the figures is the Simurg bird - the sacred symbol of Zoroastrianism, symbolizing the freedom of the spiritual from the earthly. Two fairies with wings are good helpers for the heroes from the British epic.
In 1972, while recording Queen's debut album at Trident studio, Freddie decided to change his surname Balsara to the creative pseudonym "Mercury" (English Mercury - "Mercury" and "Mercury"). Freddie wrote the first Queen song to hit the UK charts - "Seven Seas of Rhye" (1973). He also composed the group's first hit, "Killer Queen" (1974), as well as Queen's most successful song, "Bohemian Rhapsody". The song was predicted to be a failure because of its too long by the standards of the time for a single and for playing on commercial radio stations and a mixture of several styles and genres of music. But Queen released the song as a single, shot a video clip for it, which became a revolution in music videos, some even call it "the first video clip", although videos for the songs were filmed before.
In 1975, Queen toured Japan. The musicians were extremely surprised by the warm welcome of the Japanese fans of the group. Brian May recalled: “We had some success in England and the USA, but we had never seen such fanaticism and adoration before. Suddenly in Japan we began to feel like real stars such as The Beatles and Bay City Rollers, people greeted us with shouts of delight, which was news to us. " Freddie fell in love with Japan and became a fanatical collector of Japanese art.
On October 7, 1979, Freddie's old 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.
Freddie Mercury had a short relationship with the famous Austrian actress Barbara Valentin, whom he met in 1983. Mercury spoke of their relationship: “Barbara and I formed an alliance stronger than any of my lovers in the past six years. I really could tell her everything and be with her myself, which happens to me very rarely. " The musician also mentioned her among others in the dedication of his solo album "Mr. Bad Guy ".
The image of Freddie Mercury from the very beginning of his popularity raised many questions about his orientation, but Mercury always shied away from talking about his personal life, joked or answered vaguely. In a 1984 interview with the Canadian magazine Music Express, he said: “They always tried to shove me in the same box with gays. At first it was presented like this: I am bisexual; If you are hinting at my sexual preferences: very simple - I do it with the one I love. And there is no hidden bottom. My personal life does not concern anyone. " However, Mercury once admitted: “I had more lovers than Liz Taylor - both sexes - but my relationship did not end with anything. It's like I'm devouring people and destroying them. "
July 13, 1985 was a very special day for Queen and Freddie. On this day, the Live Aid concert took place - a grand show at Wembley Stadium, which was attended by 75 thousand spectators and many famous performers such as Elton John, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Sting, U2 and many others (parallel to the Wembley Show , there was a concert in Philadelphia). The concert was broadcast by television all over the world, that is, it was watched by over a billion people! With their performance, Queen secured a place for themselves in history, and all commentators, journalists, fans and critics were unanimous that the group was the highlight of the program.
A year later, on July 12, 1986, Queen played a gig again at Wembley Stadium as part of the Magic Tour in support of A Kind of Magic. This concert was attended by over 120,000 people and was later released as Queen at Wembley. The final show of the tour in Knebworth on August 9 was Queen's last performance with Mercury. In March 1987, Freddie Mercury met Montserrat Caballe in Barcelona and presented her with a cassette of several of his new songs. These songs made a strong impression on Caballe, and she even performed one of them at a concert in London, in Covent Garden, to the surprise of Freddie Mercury.
In early April 1987, Mercury and Caballe began work on a joint album. At the end of May, a music festival was held in the famous "Cu-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.
In 1986, rumors began to appear that Freddie Mercury had AIDS. Initially, information was leaked to the press that he was taking an HIV test. Since 1989, serious changes in Mercury's appearance began to appear - he has lost a lot of weight. However, until the last days of his life, the musician denied all rumors about his health. Only close people knew about his terrible diagnosis.
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" scheme, 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 for concerts.
Mercury, knowing that there was little time left, tried to record as many songs as possible. Per last years 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 was released in 1989 and Innuendo, which was released in 1991. Also, several video clips were shot for the songs of these albums. For the last lifetime album, the clips were shot in black and white in order to veil the physical condition of the band's vocalist. After the death of Freddie Mercury, the remaining members of the group, using the recordings of his voice, were able to release the last album, Queen Made in Heaven, in 1995.
On November 23, 1991, Freddie made an official statement that he was sick with AIDS: “Considering the rumors circulating in the press for the last two weeks, I want to confirm: my blood test showed the presence of HIV. I have AIDS. I considered it necessary to keep this information secret in order to keep my family and friends calm. However, it's time to tell the truth to my friends and fans around the world. I hope everyone will join the fight against this terrible disease. " He also ordered the transfer of all rights to the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" to the Terence Higgins Foundation, created to combat AIDS and HIV.
The next day, November 24, at about seven o'clock in the evening, Freddie Mercury died at his home in London from bronchial pneumonia, which developed against the background of AIDS, he was 45 years old. After the news of his death became known, thousands of people came to the fence of his Garden Lodge to put bouquets of flowers, postcards, letters and photographs on the paths. Fans of Mercury lost their idol, Clark lost a friend: "He was like a rare painting, which is impossible to repeat."
The funeral of Freddie Mercury was held in private - only relatives and friends were present. Despite the fact that the musician, having become an adult, no longer followed Zoroastrian beliefs, his parents, professing Zoroastrianism, held the funeral ceremony in accordance with their beliefs, with the exception of the cremation of the body, which, according to the customs of Zoroastrianism, is not welcomed. Freddie Mercury's body was cremated. Only Mary Austin knows where the musician's ashes lie - that was his desire.
On November 25, 1996, 5 years after the death of Freddie Mercury, a monument was opened to him in Montreux (Switzerland), where the musician worked and rested for many years. Originally, Queen's musicians 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 site proposed by the government for a monument in London was the backyard of the art college where Freddie studied. Friends considered this an insult to the memory of the great musician. On June 18, 2003, in London, near the Dominion Theater, where the We Will Rock You show is regularly staged, another monument, about 8 meters high, was unveiled.
The song "Bohemian Rhapsody", which was written by Freddie, was voted "Best Song of the Millennium" by versions of The Official Charts Company [. Freddie's second equally well-known (and perhaps surpassed her in popularity) song was and remains "We Are The Champions", which was in rotation of almost all US radio stations, not to mention the fact that this composition became the unofficial anthem of the winners major sporting events.
KIEV, 5 September - RIA Novosti Ukraine. British singer, musician, songwriter and vocalist of the rock band Queen Freddie Mercury, real name Farukh Bulsara, was born on September 5, 1946 on the East African island of Zanzibar. His parents were Persians, followers of the teachings of Zoroaster. At the age of five, Farrukh moved with his family to Bombay (India). The name Freddie stuck with him while studying at the boarding school of St. Peter.
During his school years, Freddie was fond of literature, drawing, sports, from the age of seven he studied playing the piano.
In 1964, the Bulsar family moved to the UK.
In 1965, Mercury entered the Ealing Art College, where he studied painting, design, was fond of ballet and music. In 1970, he joined the student rock band Smile Brian May and Roger Taylor, replacing his former classmate. With the arrival of bassist John Deacon in 1971, a twenty-year stellar history of a band called Queen began.
In 1972, Freddie took on the creative pseudonym Mercury (English Mercury - Mercury, mercury). He played a leading role in the formation of the musical concept of the group and authorship of most of the compositions - Bohemian Rhapsody, the lyric ballad Love Of My Life (both - 1975), the song We Are The Champions (1977), which became the anthem of sports fans.
In addition to working in a group, Mercury released several solo discs. His single Love Kills (1984) and the album Mr. Bad Guy (1985) was among the top ten British hits, and the single The Great Pretender (1987) was fourth on the list of popularity.
In 1988, the disc Barcelona was released, on which Mercury performed the classic opera arias along with soprano Montserrat Caballe. The single Barcelona became the official anthem of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
Possessing acting skills, Mercury turned the band's concerts into shows. In addition to a powerful, instantly recognizable voice, he amazed with his emotionality, temperament, plasticity, avant-garde costumes. Mercury's desire to combine music and theater, light and sound effects was embodied in the creation of video clips of the group. He wrote most of the scripts for the videos and directed their production. A number of the group's works were condemned for homosexual motives, in particular the video I Want to Break Free was criticized.
On November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury died in London. The day before his death, he made a confession that he had AIDS. Mercury died of AIDS-related pneumonia.
It is known that he was cremated at the Kensal Green cemetery, the burial place is unknown.
In 2013, at the Kensal Green cemetery in London, Queen fans found a plaque dedicated to what they believe to the musician Freddie Mercury. The inscription on it was dedicated to Farukh Bulsara; the dates of birth and death also coincided. The appeal is signed with the letter "M" - presumably, this is Mary Austin, a close friend of the musician, with whom he lived for about seven years.
On his deathbed, Queen's lead singer bequeathed to her his Kensington mansion in Logan Place, the proceeds from the sold records. In addition, he asked Austin after cremation to bury his ashes in a secret place - he did not want the posthumous pilgrimage of numerous fans to his grave.
Before his death, Mercury also ordered the proceeds from the reissue of the song Bohemian Rhapsody to be donated to the Terrence Higgins AIDS Foundation.
In 1992, Mercury's Queen colleagues organized a grandiose concert in memory of the singer at Wembley Stadium in London, in which many famous musicians took part, performing best songs Mercury.
Some of Mercury's songs did not have time to see the light during the singer's life: they were included in the Queen's album Made in Heaven, released in 1995.
In the 2000s, Queen resumed their concert activities without their legendary soloist.
Recall that in 2014 the Queen musicians of the time of Freddie Mercury.
The future great Freddie Mercury was born in September 1946 on the island of Zanzibar in the family of the Parsian Zoroastrians Bomi and Jer Bulsar. The parents named their son Farrukh, which means “beautiful”, “happy”. The fate of the boy from Zanzibar really could be envied. Parents early noticed his musical ability and supported them by singing and playing the piano. When the child was 8 years old, his parents sent him to study in India, to his uncle and aunt. It was hard for classmates to pronounce the name Farrukh, so they just started calling him Freddie. Freddie was one of the best in the class: he won many sports awards, certificates for success in science and art. He sang in the choir, played in the school theater and even formed his first rock band with his classmates. The funny name "Consumptive" (The Heltics) was invented by Freddie himself. The group broke up when Freddie graduated from high school and returned to his parents in Zanzibar.
The flight to success
In 1964, Great Britain declared Zanzibar an independent country. Political unrest broke out on the island, and the Bulsar family fled to the UK to stay with their relatives. Over time, Freddie's parents settled in a new place and bought their own house, their daughter Kashmira was sent to school, and their son was sent to study as an artist.
And again Freddie was among the best. After graduating from Islesworth College, Freddie went through a competition to the prestigious Ealing College of Art. In 1966, Freddie went to London to study as an illustrator. In the capital, the future singer found himself in a bohemian society: he was surrounded by novice artists and artists. Freddie felt like a fish in water. He was among the musicians, under their influence he began to compose songs.
From artist to musician
Having received a diploma in graphic design, Freddie left this occupation and devoted himself to music. At 23, he met the Ibex group. Freddie was fired up by their creativity and learned the whole repertoire. His demeanor on stage and an unusual voice helped him become a part of his favorite team. As part of Ibex, Freddie performed covers of songs by Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.
In the wake of success, Freddie suggests giving the group a more effective name. For example, The Wreckage - "Wreck". It was not a good idea, because, like in a real crash, the members began to leave the group one by one. The team eventually fell apart. Freddie went in search of new like-minded people.
Vocalist by ad
Freddie responded to the Sour Milk Sea's announcement to find a vocalist and was accepted immediately. However, the team broke up due to internal disagreements, and in 1970 Freddie moved as a vocalist to the Smile group, where he again proposes to change the name - this time successfully. Two years later, the newly formed Queen band consisting of Freddie Bulsar, John Deacon, Roger Taylor and Brian May recorded their debut album. It was then that Freddie took on the pseudonym Mercury.
Coronation "Bohemian Rhapsody"
The songs for the group were written by Mercury himself. Seven Seas of Rhye, Killer Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody instantly climbed to the top of the UK charts, and the group became famous outside of England. By the way, the unconventional philosophical composition of Bohemian Rhapsody was predicted to be a complete failure. The song was very long and downright weird, combining several styles of music. But Freddie convinced other members of the group not only to record "Rhapsody", but also to shoot a video for it. The success was tremendous, and the name Mercury became synonymous with the musical revolution of that time.
According to the Queen themselves, they felt famous in 1975 while touring Japan. Brian May said that no one expected such a reaction from the audience. It was not just adoration, but something like admiration. Freddie was a modest and shy man, but on the stage, on the contrary, shocked the audience with his behavior and unusual costumes. In 1980, Mercury dropped his mustache and cut his hair short. His trademark accessory was a microphone on a semi-disassembled stand, with which he ran and jumped around the stage.
Freddie Mercury's big love
The singer's manners caused gossip questions about his sexual orientation... Mercury laughed it off. Once in the newspaper The Sun there was an interview in which Freddie allegedly admitted that he was gay. The singer called this slander and added that if he wanted to draw attention to himself, it would not be in this way.
Since 1970, Mercury met with Mary Austin, a former saleswoman in a fashion store. For 7 years Freddie and Mary lived together, but Freddie could no longer keep his bisexuality a secret from Mary. The confession shocked the girl. She did not believe the rumors that Freddie was having an affair with the executive director of the recording studio Elektra Records, but this turned out to be true. Freddie did everything for Mary to remain his friend. Mercury considered Mary both his wife and the closest person. Freddie even became the godfather of her eldest son when she married another man. Freddie's song Love of My Life was dedicated to Mary Austin.
In the 80s, legends were made about the adventures of Mercury. He was credited with romances with Austrian actress Barbara Valentin, who starred in one of Queen's videos, with German restaurateur Winfried Kirchberger, with work colleagues and even with fans.
In 1985, Mercury met Jim Hutton, a hairdresser. By this time, the singer knew that he was terminally ill, and admitted this to Jim. He supported the musician for 6 years until his death. Jim took care of Mercury in last days and the minutes of his life. After the death of the musician, Hatton released his memoirs "Mercury and I", left for his native Ireland, where he lived for another 15 years before own death from lung cancer.
Life as art
Being an artist by training, Mercury had a fine sense of art and dreamed of being on the same stage with the Royal Ballet. And this dream came true. In 1979, the group and the Royal Ballet performed a joint performance to the songs Bohemian Rhapsody and Crazy Little Thing Called Love.
In 1983, Freddie met Montserrat Caballe. Mercury was fascinated by Verdi's opera "Masquerade Ball" and the voice of the legendary singer. Four years later, Freddie presented Montserrat with a cassette of his songs, and then it was Caballe's turn to admire his colleague. Montserrat covered one of the Queen's songs while performing at Covent Garden!
In 1987, the singer herself invited Mercury to record a joint album. A year later, at the festival in the Cu-Club concert hall, they sang the song Barcelona together, then at the La Nit festival in Barcelona they surprised the audience with new hits Golden Boy and How Can I Go On. This triumph became the zenith of Freddie Mercury's creativity. The disease did not allow him to perform anymore.
There is almost no time left
Queen's concert at Wembley Stadium in London in 1985 was the loudest in the band's history. With 75,000 viewers, live streaming worldwide, Elton John, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Sting, Black Sabbath and U2 guest stars, it was a huge success. At the same time, Freddie recorded four songs with Michael Jackson. The duo There Must Be More to Life Than This is featured on Mercury's solo album Mr. Bad Guy. And during this period, Freddie learned about the fatal diagnosis. He was only forty years old.
Mercury hid why he stopped speaking, although, of course, rumors about his illness had already leaked to the press. Only relatives and closest friends of the musician knew about the diagnosis. In 1989, the band announced that they were taking a short break, but would continue to record albums.
It was Mercury's initiative. He wanted to live. And this thirst for life and creativity made him work with all his might. Freddie lost weight and his appearance frightened even friends, but he did not want to give up. In addition to the Barcelona album, recorded with Montserrat Caballe, Freddie recorded the Innuendo album with Queen. The musicians had to record several black and white videos in order to somehow hide the vocalist's condition.
The artist was ready to live in the dressing room so as not to waste energy on the way home. At his request, they put a bed and everything you need there. Despite the persuasions of friends, Mercury refused to retire and asked to simply make up more carefully. Even fainting did not stop him. On the set of the video for the song Show must go on, which became a kind of Freddie's farewell anthem, we had to take breaks, because Mercury was constantly losing consciousness.
The secret of the great Freddie Mercury
Freddie told about his illness the day before his death. On November 23, 1991, he stated: “I want to confirm: my blood test showed the presence of HIV. I have AIDS. I considered it necessary to keep this information secret in order to keep my family and friends calm. However, it's time to tell the truth to my friends and fans around the world. I hope everyone will join the fight against this terrible disease. "
On November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury died at his home in London from bronchial pneumonia, progressing against the background of AIDS.
He felt himself leaving. In his will, Freddie transferred the rights to the Bohemian Rhapsody song and the proceeds from its use to the AIDS Foundation. The mansion and the main savings he bequeathed to his girlfriend Mary Austin, the profit from the sales of songs - to his sister and parents, his boyfriend and personal assistant Jim Hutton, the artist left 500 thousand pounds.
