Remembering Freddie
With 24th November marking 30 years since Freddie Mercury sadly passed away we remember his energy, his music and the powerful contribution he made to the world of rock.
Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on the East African island of Zanzibar 5 September 1946 and died at the age of just 45 from complications due to Aids. Although diagnosed in 1987 Freddie only announced to the world that he had contracted the disease the day before his death.
24 November – Queen frontman Freddie Mercury dies at his home in London, just 24 hours after going public with the news that he was suffering from AIDS.
Almost painfully shy offstage, Freddie came alive when performing. His incredible energy, flamboyant stage persona and versatile vocal range as frontman to Queen defined him as one of rock’s greatest singers.
Freddie met his future bandmates, drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May, around the time he moved to London in the 1960s. They met up with bassist John Deacon in 1971. The quartet, which Freddie named Queen, played their first gig together that June.
John Deacon, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May
The band’s debut album was called Queen which was followed by Queen II. Queen initially failed to attract much notice beyond the UK until their albums Sheer Heart Attack A Night at the Opera. Bohemian Rhapsody, their number one single from A Night at the Opera spent nine weeks at the top of the British Singles chart.
Of the 17 songs on Queen’s Greatest Hits album, Freddie wrote 10 of them: Bohemian Rhapsody, Seven Seas of Rhye, Killer Queen, Somebody to Love, Gold Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, We Are the Champions, Bicycle Race, Don’t Stop Me Now, Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Play the Game.
- Click here to find our Best of Queen Playlist
One of Freddie’s most notable performances with Queen took place at Live Aid in 1985 which has since been voted as the greatest live performance in the history of rock music.
In addition to his work with Queen, Freddie released several solo albums, including 1985’s Mr Bad Guy. He also collaborated with opera singer Montserrat Caballé for 1988’s Barcelona.
Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe
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.
The last few years of Freddie’s life have been chronicled in a 90-minute film entitled Freddie Mercury: The Final Act which is due to air on BBC Two later this month. The film, directed by James Rogan, will document his journey from 1986 up to the tribute concert held for Freddie at Wembley Stadium in 1992.
Jan Younghusband, head of BBC music TV commissioning, said: “James Rogan’s film: Freddie Mercury: The Final Act is a poignant story of one of music’s most popular and talented musicians, and the legacy he left.
Freddie Mercury was a true legend, a great loss, taken far too soon.
- Find out more about the BBC Two film which tells the story of the “extraordinary final chapter” of the life of the late Queen singer Freddie Mercury.
- Click here to find our Best of Queen Playlist
Melina - Assistant Editor
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