30 years without Freddie Mercury: 30 facts to remember the British rock legend

On November 23, 1991, Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the British band Queen, provided a statement about his health, in which he confirmed that he had contracted the acquired immunodeficiency virus.

“I want to confirm that I have tested positive for HIV and have AIDS. I thought it was right to keep this information private to date, to protect the privacy of those around me, “he said at the time, 30 years ago. “However, the time has come for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope they all join all those in the fight against this terrible disease.”

The next day, a spokesperson reported that the rock star had just die at his home in Kensington, London, at age 45, as a result of a bronchopneumonia caused by AIDS.

The death of the musician blackened the music industry, everyone who knew him, shared with him and were inspired by his scenic display. That is why, three decades after his departure, we continue to celebrate his musical legacy through 30 facts about his life.

1. The BBC is preparing a documentary that will mark the 30th anniversary of the artist’s death, called Freddie Mercury: The Final Act. The movie picks up the latest Queen show, Magic Tour, in 1986, going through the death of Mercury until the tribute concert at Wembley, in 1992.

2. The BBC documentary, directed by James Rogan, will air this Saturday, November 27e, then it will be projected Queen at the BBC, a one-hour special featuring many of the band’s performances for this network.

3. Freddie Mercury, whose birth name was Farrokh Bulsara, was born on September 5, 1946 in Stone Town, Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous island off the coast of Tanzania.

4. His parents were Parsis from India. The family moved to Zanzibar for Dad to continue his job as a cashier at the British Colonial Office. As Parsis, they practiced the Zoroastrianism, a religion that is founded on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster.

5. As a child Farrokh began to sing in the Zoroastrian Temple from the city, when there were about 300 members of the Parsi community in Zanzibar. Today there are only a few left and, according to a note from Cnn in Spanish, the temple has been abandoned for a long time.

6. Mercury spent most of his childhood in Zanzibar, yet his school years attended them in India, in a boarding school, where he adopted the name Freddie. In the early 1960s the family moved to the UK.

7. At the beginning of the decade of 1970, Mercury created the band Queen alongside guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon.

8. When Queen was born Freddie wanted to change his last name to something worthy of a rock star. According to Brian May, he chose his stage name from the song My Fairy King (1973): “Mother Mercury, look what they’ve done to me…”

9. His bandmates describe him as generous, absolutely devoted to music, and as a very caring person. In the days close to his death, the musicians tried to protect him as much as possible from the ‘harpies’, that is, from all kinds of onlookers who wanted to expose the miseries of his last days.

10. In 1980 Queen released Another one bites the dust, one of the band’s best-selling singles. The following year, in 1981, they released the compilation album Greatest Hits, which was his best-selling album in the UK.

11. Freddie Mercury was a magnetic artist who drove his fans crazy with his charisma and vocal prowess on songs like Bohemian Rapsody. His wardrobe, suits usually close to the body, helped to seduce and fascinate his audience.

12. Mercury planned his performances carefully. In an interview, the artist said that after each presentation he would do extensive research and consult with his closest advisers for new ideas.

13. Despite having a overwhelming personality on stageMercury’s acquaintances claim that he was actually shy when he was not on stage, especially with people he did not know.

14. its bisexuality It wasn’t a secret from those close to him, but Mercury kept his relationships with men and women private. In fact, he was very secretive about these subjects. He never married, but had long romantic relationships, including his courtship with Mary Austen.

15. Mercury was born with four supernumerary incisors, to whom he attributed his particular vocal range, although he hated them. Whenever Freddie is seen laughing during an interview, he always uses his upper lip to cover his teeth, or raises his hand to cover his mouth.

16. Although he always tried to cover them, when he was at home he would stop feeling self-conscious and would throw his head back to laugh out loud with your mouth open, remember his relatives.

17. Mercury took care of at least ten cats throughout his life (Tom, Jerry, Oscar, Tiffany, Dorothy, Delilah, Goliath, Miko, Romeo and Lily). He gave so much importance to the care of these beloved animals, that he did not allow them to be crossed.

18. its favorite cat It was the female Delilah, the one featured on the album Innuendo, the Queen.

19. And to the other cats he dedicated his notes from his solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, in which he says: “This album is dedicated to my cat Jerry, also Tom, Oscar and Tiffany and to all the cat lovers in the universeFuck everyone else! “

20. So much can be said about the artist’s adoration for his kittens. He asked the painter Ann Ortman portraits of each of them. A jacket with the faces of their pets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld1rRfnaTbY

21. The singer’s home in Kensington was christened Garden Lodge. Apart from his sentimental partner Jim Hutton, he also lived there Peter ‘Phoebe’ Freestone, your personal assistant and friend; He was even an official advisor on the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

22. The film won the Oscar for best actor, for the interpretation of Rami Malek like Freddie Mercury. It recounts the time between the band’s formation and the historic concert at Wimbley Stadium in 1985.

23. Phoebe maintains a blog where she responds to fans and posts her memories with Freddie. “Garden Lodge it generally had a calm atmosphere. It was his home, so even though he had enough wonderful parties for 200 people, it was a place where he felt safe, where he didn’t have to watch what he said or did. “

24. In the days leading up to his death, the singer is said to have last toured his beloved Garden Lodge before locking himself in his room until his death. The November 20 went down to see his works of art. “Terry (his bodyguard) led him down the stairs, but he walked through the living room, with one of us supporting him,” recalls the assistant.

25. Another good friend of Freddie Mercury was also the star of British music Sir Elton John, with whom he shared affectionate nicknames for his alterregos drag queen. The leader of Queen was Melina and Elton, Sharon.

26. At Christmas 1991, a dejected Elton received a gift from his good friend a month after his death: a painting by one of the artist’s favorite painters. Cold heart, Henry Scott Tuke, with a note that read “Dear Sharon, I thought you would like this. With love, Melina. Merry Christmas.”

27. As difficult as it may sound, Freddie devoted part of his last days to what he did best: music. Guitarist and songwriter Brian May recently confessed on the show Good Morning Britain so the band tried to support the singer. “Making music was his life. It was a difficult time, but it brought us together as a family, ”he said.

28. In the same morning broadcast by the British network ITV, May shared that Mercury lived a part of his final days in a city in Switzerland. “Most of the time we went to Montreux. Freddie actually lived there for a while. “

29. In 2020, a museum honoring Mercury was opened in Zanzibar, the place where Farrokh Bulsara was born. The museum rises on the call Casa Mercury, a former home of the Bulsara family.

30. Although Freddie never spoke of the details of his funeral (he just didn’t care, he would already be dead) he did want to be remembered as more than just a mortal. To Jim Beach, his manager, he said: “You can do whatever you want with my legacy, but never make me look bored.”