In Memoriam – Freddie – Bio
Farrokh “Freddie” Mercury
Born September 5, 1946 – Died November 24, 1991
British singer, songwriter, record producer, lead vocalist of the rock band Queen.
In Memoriam – Freddie – Note
Mercury wrote numerous hits for Queen, including “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Killer Queen”, “Somebody to Love”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, and “We Are the Champions”.
Mercury was born of Parsi descent in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, and grew up there and in India before moving with his family to Middlesex, England, in his teens.
He formed Queen in 1970 with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor.
Mercury and his inner circle of colleagues and friends continually denied the stories of his illness.
It has been suggested that Mercury could have helped AIDS awareness by speaking earlier about his illness.
Mercury kept his condition private to protect those closest to him; May later confirmed that Mercury had informed the band of his illness much earlier.
Filmed in May 1991, the music video for “These Are the Days of Our Lives” features a very thin Mercury in his final scenes in front of the camera.
The rest of the band were ready to record when Mercury felt able to come into the studio, for an hour or two at a time.
(Brian) May said of (Freddie) Mercury: “He just kept saying. ‘Write me more. Write me stuff. I want to just sing this and do it and when I am gone you can finish it off.’ He had no fear, really.”
On 22 November 1991, Mercury called Queen’s manager Jim Beach to his Kensington home to prepare a public statement, which was released the following day:
Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, 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 me, my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease.
My privacy has always been very special to me and I am famous for my lack of interviews.
Please understand this policy will continue.
On the evening of 24 November 1991, just over 24 hours after issuing that statement, Mercury died at the age of 45 at his home in Kensington.
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