Freddie Mercury
Statue in Montreux, Switzerland
Background information
Birth name	Farrokh Bulsara
Born	September 5, 1946(1946-09-05) Stone Town, Zanzibar
Died	November 24, 1991 (aged 45) Kensington, London, England
Genre(s)	Hard rock, Progressive rock, Pop rock
Occupation(s)	Vocalist, Musician, Songwriter, Producer
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Piano, Keyboards, Guitar
Voice type(s)	Tenor
Years active	1969–1991
Associated acts	Queen, Wreckage/Ibex, Smile

Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British musician, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Queen (inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001). Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Stone Town or Mji Mkongwe, in Swahili meaning "ancient town" is the old part of Zanzibar City (or Unguja Mjini - the capital of the island Zanzibar ( is part of the East African republic of Tanzania. It consists of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Kensington is a district of West London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, located west of Charing Cross. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved Pop rock is a hybrid of Pop music and Rock music that uses catchy pop style with light lyrics over top of guitar-based songs A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A voice type is a particular kind of human Singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Ibex was a short-lived Liverpool -based rock band in 1969. It is primarily known for having Freddie Mercury (then known as Freddie Bulsara later of Smile were a London-based Rock band best known as the predecessor to renowned rock band Queen. Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. A musical ensemble is a group of two or more Musicians who perform instrumental or vocal Music. Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States He was noted for his vocal abilities and for his live performances. As a songwriter, he composed many international hits, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "Somebody to Love", "Don't Stop Me Now", "We Are the Champions" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both is a Song written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album ''A Night at the Opera''. " Killer Queen " is a 1974 song by the British rock band Queen. " Somebody to Love " is a song written by Freddie Mercury and performed by English rock band Queen featured on their 1976 album " Don't Stop Me Now " ( is a 1979 hit single by Queen, from their 1978 album Jazz. See also Af banen (Danish film also known as We Are the Champions See also We Are the Champions (TV series " We Are the Champions " Crazy Little Thing Called Love " is a song performed by the English rock band Queen, written by singer Freddie Mercury. In addition to his work with Queen, he produced several minor hits as a solo artist. Mercury, who was of Indian Parsi descent and who grew up in India, has been referred to as "Britain's first Asian rock star. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country British Asians are British citizens who are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka "^[1] He died of bronchopneumonia induced by HIV (AIDS) on 24 November 1991, only one day after publicly acknowledging he had the disease. Bronchopneumonia (also known as lobular pneumonia) is a type of Pneumonia characterized by multiple foci of isolated acute consolidation affecting one or more Human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV) is a Lentivirus (a member of the Retrovirus family that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. In 2006, Time Asia named Mercury as one of the most influential Asian heroes of the past 60 years. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and ^[2] However, he has also been criticised for having kept his ethnicity, as well as his sexual orientation and HIV status, a secret from the public. ^[3][4]

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Influences 2 Career 2.1 Singer 2.2 Songwriter 2.3 Live performer 2.4 Instrumentalist 2.5 Solo career 3 Personal life 4 Death 5 Criticism and controversy 5.1 HIV status 5.2 Ethnicity 5.3 Sexual orientation 5.4 Other controversies 6 Legacy 6.1 Appearances in lists of influential individuals 6.2 Continued popularity 6.3 Tributes 6.4 Importance in AIDS history 7 Discography 8 Instruments used by Mercury 9 Notes 10 References 11 Bibliography 12 Further reading

Biography

Mercury was born in Stone Town on Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania. Stone Town or Mji Mkongwe, in Swahili meaning "ancient town" is the old part of Zanzibar City (or Unguja Mjini - the capital of the island Zanzibar ( is part of the East African republic of Tanzania. It consists of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara,^[a] were Parsis from the province of Gujarat in India. Gujarat (ગુજરાત Gujǎrāt, pronounced) is a state in western India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ^[5][b] The family surname is derived from the town of Bulsar (also known as Valsad) in southern Gujarat. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Valsad, also known as Bulsar, is a city and a Municipality in the Valsad district Gujarat (ગુજરાત Gujǎrāt, pronounced) is a state in western India. As Parsis, the family practiced the Zoroastrian religion. Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings The family had moved to Zanzibar in order for his father to continue his job as a cashier at the British Colonial Office. The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet official in charge of managing the various British Colonies. He had one younger sister, Kashmira. ^[6]

Mercury attended St. Peter's School, a boarding school for boys in Panchgani near Bombay (now Mumbai, India), . St Peter's School is an all-boys Boarding school located in Panchgani, Maharastra State, India, founded in the year 1902 A boarding school is a School where some or all pupils not only study but also live during term time with their fellow students and possibly teachers WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Pānchgani ( Devanāgari: पांचगणी is a town with a Municipal council in Sātārā Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial At St. Peter's, he was a bright student who excelled at several sports. At school, he formed a popular school band, called The Hectics, for which he played the piano. The Hectics (1958-62 was Freddie Mercury 's first music band the other members of the band were Derrick Branche Bruce Murray Farang Irani and Victory Rana A friend from the time recalls that he "had an uncanny ability to listen to the radio and replay what he heard on piano. "^[7] It was also at St. Peter's where he began to call himself "Freddie". Mercury remained in India for most of his childhood, living with his grandmother and aunt. He completed his education in India at St. Mary's (ISC) High School in Mazagon before returning to Zanzibar. St Mary's School is a Jesuit -run secondary school located on Nesbit Road Mazagaon in the city of Mumbai, India. Mazagaon, also spelled Mazgaon and Mazagon, and pronounced by the Catholics as 'Mazgon' or 'Maz-a-gon' and the Marathi-speakers as Mazhgav

At the age of 17, Mercury and his family fled from Zanzibar as result of the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution. The Zanzibar Revolution was the overthrow in 1964 of the Sultan of Zanzibar and his mainly Arab government by 600-800 of the country's African majority ^[1] The family moved into a small house in Feltham, London. Feltham is a town in the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located about 13 miles (21 km west-southwest of central London at Charing Cross, 2 miles (3 London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Mercury enrolled at Isleworth Polytechnic (now West Thames College) in West London where he studied art. West Thames College is a Further education college in Isleworth, Middlesex, England. He ultimately earned a Diploma in Art and Graphic Design at Ealing Art College, later using these skills in order to design the Queen crest. Ealing Art College was in fact 'Ealing Technical College & School of Art' a Further education institution on St Mary's Road Ealing, London, Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Mercury remained a British citizen for the rest of his life.

Following graduation, Mercury joined a series of bands and sold second-hand clothes in the Kensington Market in London. Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario. He also held a job at Heathrow airport. Friends from the time remember him as a quiet and shy young man who showed a great deal of interest in music. ^[8] In 1969 he formed the band Ibex, which was later renamed Wreckage. Ibex was a short-lived Liverpool -based rock band in 1969. It is primarily known for having Freddie Mercury (then known as Freddie Bulsara later of When this band failed to take off, he joined a second band called Sour Milk Sea. However, by early 1970, this group broke up as well. ^[9]

In April of 1970, Mercury joined with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, who had previously been in a band called Smile. Brian Harold May, CBE Roger Taylor (born Roger Meddows-Taylor on July 26, 1949 in Dersingham, Norfolk later moved to Kings Lynn is an English Musician Smile were a London-based Rock band best known as the predecessor to renowned rock band Queen. Despite reservations from the other members, Mercury chose the name "Queen" for the new band. He later said about the band's name, "I was certainly aware of the gay connotations, but that was just one facet of it. In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality. "^[10] At around this time, he also legally changed his name.

Influences

As a child, Mercury listened to a considerable amount of Indian music, and one of his early influences was the Bollywood playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, whom he had the opportunity to see live in India. Bollywood (बॉलीवूड بالی وڈ is the informal term popularly used for the Mumbai -based Hindi-language Film industry in India A playback singer is a Singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies Lata Mangeshkar (लता मंगेशकर born September 28, 1929) لتا منگیشکر is a singer from India. ^[11] After moving to England, Mercury became a fan of The Who, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and The Jackson 5. The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Led Zeppelin were James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born Pink Floyd are The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 The Jackson 5 (also spelled The Jackson Five or The Jackson 5ive, and later known as The Jacksons) was an American popular music Family ^[12] Another one of Mercury's favourite performers was singer and actress Liza Minnelli. Liza May Minnelli (born March 12, 1946) is a legendary American actress and singer He once explained: "One of my early inspirations came from Cabaret. Cabaret is a 1972 American Musical film directed by Bob Fosse and starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York I absolutely adore Liza Minnelli, she's a total wow. The way she delivers her songs—the sheer energy. "^[13]

Career

Singer

Regarded as one of the greatest singers in rock music, Freddie Mercury possessed a very distinctive voice, including a recorded range of nearly four octaves. Although his speaking voice naturally fell in the baritone range, he delivered most songs in the tenor range. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice Biographer David Bret described his voice as "escalating within a few bars from a deep, throaty rock-growl to tender, vibrant tenor, then on to a high-pitched, almost perfect coloratura, pure and crystalline in the upper reaches. David Bret (born 8 November 1954 in Paris) is a French -born Author of Showbiz Biographies. Coloratura has several meanings The word derives from the Italian colorare (to Colour; to heighten to enliven or colorazione (colouring coloration "^[14] On the other hand, he would often lower the highest notes during live performances. Mercury also claimed never to have had any formal training and suffered from vocal fold nodules. A vocal cord nodule (or "Nodules of vocal cords" is a Nodule or mass of tissue that grows on the Vocal folds (vocal cords ^[15] Spaniard soprano Montserrat Caballé, with whom Mercury recorded an album, expressed her opinion that "the difference between Freddie and almost all the other rock stars was that he was selling the voice. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepció Caballé i Folc, better known as Montserrat Caballé (born April 12 1933) is a Spanish Catalan "^[4] Freddie Mercury was also rated second only to Mariah Carey in MTV's 22 Greatest Voices in Music.

Songwriter

Mercury wrote ten out of the seventeen songs on Queen's Greatest Hits album: "Seven Seas of Rhye", "Killer Queen", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Somebody to Love", "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy", "We Are the Champions", "Bicycle Race", "Don't Stop Me Now", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Play the Game". Greatest Hits is a 1981 Queen compilation The record released on November 2, 1981, is the UK's all-time best-selling album Seven Seas of Rhye is a song written by Freddie Mercury and performed by English rock group Queen. " Killer Queen " is a 1974 song by the British rock band Queen. is a Song written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album ''A Night at the Opera''. " Somebody to Love " is a song written by Freddie Mercury and performed by English rock band Queen featured on their 1976 album Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy is the fourth single ("Queen's First EP" from and eighth track on the British rock group Queen See also Af banen (Danish film also known as We Are the Champions See also We Are the Champions (TV series " We Are the Champions Bicycle Race is a hit single for the English rock band Queen. " Don't Stop Me Now " ( is a 1979 hit single by Queen, from their 1978 album Jazz. " Crazy Little Thing Called Love " is a song performed by the English rock band Queen, written by singer Freddie Mercury. Play The Game may refer to Play the Game (film Play the Game (song by Queen

The most notable aspect of his songwriting involved the wide range of different genres that he used, which included, among other styles, rockabilly, heavy metal and disco. Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of Rock and roll music and emerged in the early 1950s Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define As he explained in a 1986 interview, "I hate doing the same thing again and again. I like to see what's happening now in music, film and theatre and incorporate all of those things. "^[16] Compared to many popular songwriters, Mercury also tended to write musically complex material. For example, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is acyclic in structure and comprises dozens of chords. This article describes musical chords in traditional Western styles ^[17][18] "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", on the other hand, contains only a few chords. Despite the fact that Mercury often wrote very intricate harmonies, he also claimed that he could barely read music. In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music. ^[19] He wrote most of his songs on the piano and used a wide variety of different key signatures. ^[17]

Live performer

Mercury is noted for his live performances, which were often delivered to stadium audiences around the world. He displayed a highly theatrical style that often evoked a great deal of participation from the crowd. A writer for The Spectator described him as "a performer out to tease, shock and ultimately charm his audience with various extravagant versions of himself. For other uses see Spectator. The Spectator is a weekly British Magazine first published on 6 July "^[20] David Bowie, who performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert and recorded the song "Under Pressure" with Queen said of Mercury, "Of all the more theatrical rock performers, Freddie took it further than the rest. David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was an open-air concert held on Easter Monday, April 20 1992 at This article refers to the Queen & David Bowie song For other uses of the name see Under Pressure (disambiguation " Under " . . . "He took it over the edge. And of course, I always admired a man who wears tights. I only saw him in concert once, and as they say, he was definitely a man who could hold an audience in the palm of his hand. He could always turn a cliché to his advantage. "^[21]

One of Mercury's most notable performances with Queen took place at Live Aid in 1985, during which the entire stadium audience of 72,000 people clapped, sang, and swayed in unison. Live Aid was a multi-venue rock music concert held on. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia Queen's performance at the event has since been voted by a group of music executives as the greatest live performance in the history of rock music. The results were aired on a television program called "The World's Greatest Gigs". ^[22][23] In reviewing Live Aid in 2005, one critic wrote, "Those who compile lists of Great Rock Frontmen and award the top spots to Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, etc. Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger, Kt (born 26 July 1943 is a Golden Globe -winning and two-time Grammy -winning English rock Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948 West Bromwich, England) is an English rock singer and songwriter famous for his membership in the all are guilty of a terrible oversight. Freddie, as evidenced by his Dionysian Live Aid performance, was easily the most godlike of them all. "^[24]

Over the course of his career, Mercury performed an estimated 700 concerts in countries around the world with Queen. A notable aspect of Queen concerts was the large scale involved. ^[16] He once explained, "We're the Cecil B. DeMille of rock and roll, always wanting to do things bigger and better. Cecil Blount DeMille ( August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959) was an Academy Award -winning American Film director "^[16] The band were the first ever to play South American stadiums, breaking worldwide records for concert attendance in the Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo in 1981. Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo is a Stadium in São Paulo, Brazil, popularly known as Estádio do Morumbi, or just Morumbi São Paulo ( is the largest city in Brazil, with its metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world ^[25] In 1986, Queen also played behind the Iron Curtain, when they performed to a crowd of 80,000 in Budapest. The " Iron Curtain " was the symbolic ideological and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political, ^[26] Mercury's final live performance with Queen took place on August 9th, 1986 at Knebworth Park in England and drew an attendance estimated as high as 300,000. Knebworth is a Village and Civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England immediately south of Stevenage. ^[27]

Instrumentalist

Mercury played the piano in many of Queen's most popular songs. Examples of piano-based Queen songs include "Killer Queen", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy", "We Are the Champions" and "Don't Stop Me Now". He used concert grand pianos and, in the studio, various keyboard instruments such as organs, harpsichords and an upright piano. From 1979 onwards, he also made extensive use of synthesizers in the studio. Queen guitarist Brian May claims that Mercury was unimpressed with his abilities at the piano and used the instrument less over time. Brian Harold May, CBE ^[28] Although he wrote many lines for guitar, Mercury possessed only rudimentary skills on the instrument. Nevertheless, he wrote the song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" on the guitar and often played it during live performances of the song.

Solo career

In addition to his work with Queen, Mercury put out two solo albums and several singles. Although his solo work was not as commercially successful as most Queen albums, the two albums and several of the solo songs debuted in the top 10 of the UK Album Charts. The UK Albums Chart is a list of Albums ranked by sales in the United Kingdom. His first solo effort involved the contribution of a song called Love Kills to a 1984 album dedicated to the 1926 Fritz Lang film Metropolis. Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang ( December 5, 1890 &ndash August 2, 1976) was an Austrian German - American A metropolis (from the Greek μήτηρ mētēr meaning 'mother' and πόλις pólis meaning 'city/town' is a big City, in most cases with The song, which was produced by Giorgio Moroder, debuted at the #10 position in the UK charts. Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder (born on April 26 1940 in Urtijëi, Italy) is an Italian Record producer, songwriter ^[29]

Mercury produced two solo albums, Mr. Bad Guy and Barcelona, released in 1985 and 1988, respectively. Mr Bad Guy is the first solo album from Queen singer Freddie Mercury. Barcelona is an album recorded by Freddie Mercury, the front-man of the popular British rock band Queen, and operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé The former was a pop-oriented album that emphasised disco and dance music. "Barcelona" was recorded with the opera singer Montserrat Caballé, whom he had long admired. Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepció Caballé i Folc, better known as Montserrat Caballé (born April 12 1933) is a Spanish Catalan Although it debuted in the top ten of the UK Album Charts,^[29] Mr. The UK Albums Chart is a list of Albums ranked by sales in the United Kingdom. Bad Guy was not considered to have been a commercial success relative to most Queen albums. However, in 1993, a remix of "Living on My Own", a single from the album, reached the #1 position on the UK Singles Charts. " Living on My Own " is a song by Freddie Mercury, from the album Mr The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry ^[30] The song also garnered Mercury a posthumous Ivor Novello Award. The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are Awards for Songwriting and Composing. Allmusic critic Ed Rivadavia describes Mr. allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. Bad Guy as "outstanding from start to finish" and expressed his view that Mercury "did a commendable job of stretching into uncharted territory. "^[31] In particular, the album was heavily synthesizer-driven in a way that was not characteristic of previous Queen albums.

Barcelona, recorded with Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé, combined elements of popular music and opera. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepció Caballé i Folc, better known as Montserrat Caballé (born April 12 1933) is a Spanish Catalan Many critics were uncertain what to make of the album, with one critic referring to it as "the most bizarre CD of the year. "^[32] Caballé, on the other hand, considered the album to have been one of the great successes of her career. The title song from the album debuted at the #8 position in the UK charts and was a hit in Spain. ^[33]

In addition to the two solo albums, Mercury released several additional singles, including his own version of the hit The Great Pretender by The Platters, which debuted at the #5 spot in the UK in 1987. " The Great Pretender " is a popular song recorded by The Platters and released as a single on November 3, 1955. The Platters were a successful vocal group of the early Rock and roll era ^[29] In September of 2006, a compilation album featuring Mercury's solo work was released in the UK in honour of what would have been his sixtieth birthday. The album debuted in the top 10 of the UK Album Charts. The UK Albums Chart is a list of Albums ranked by sales in the United Kingdom. ^[34]

Personal life

In the early 1970s Mercury had a long-term relationship with a girlfriend named Mary Austin (whom he had met through guitarist Brian May), with whom he lived for many years. Brian Harold May, CBE However, by the mid-1970s, the singer began an affair with a male record executive at Elektra Records; this ultimately resulted in the end of his relationship with Austin. Elektra Records is a now-dormant American Record label owned by Warner Music Group (WMG and from 2004 on operating under WMG's Atlantic Records ^[35] Mercury and Austin nevertheless remained close friends through the years, with Mercury often referring to her as his only true friend. In a 1985 interview, Mercury said of Austin, "All my lovers asked me why they couldn't replace Mary (Austin), but it's simply impossible. The only friend I've got is Mary, and I don't want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that's enough for me. "^[36] He also wrote several songs about Austin, the most notable of which is "Love of My Life". Love of My Life is a Ballad from the album A Night at the Opera by English Rock band Queen. Mercury was also the godfather of Mary's eldest son, Richard. ^[28]

By 1980, Mercury began to frequently visit gay bathhouses and clubs, where he met many short-term partners. Gay bathhouses, also known as Gay Saunas or Steam baths (and sometimes called in Gay slang in some regions "the baths" or "the ^[37] Mercury also began to grow a moustache around this time. For the Swedish heavy metal band see Mustasch. A moustache (or mustache) is Facial hair grown on the upper Lip. ^[37] By 1985 he began another long-term relationship with a hairdresser named Jim Hutton. Hutton, who himself tested HIV-positive in 1990,^[38] lived with Mercury for the last six years of his life, nursed him during his illness and was present at his bedside when he died. Hutton also claims that Mercury died wearing a wedding band that Hutton had given him. ^[38]

Although he cultivated a very flamboyant stage personality, several sources refer to Mercury as having been very shy in person. ^[4][6][39] He also granted very few interviews. Mercury once said of himself: "When I'm performing I'm an extrovert, yet inside I'm a completely different man. "^[40]

Death

According to his partner Jim Hutton, Mercury was diagnosed with HIV in the spring of 1987. Human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV) is a Lentivirus (a member of the Retrovirus family that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ^[41] Around that time, Mercury also claimed in an interview to have tested negative for the virus. ^[4] Despite the denials, British press pursued the rampant rumours over the next few years, fueled by Mercury's gaunt appearance, Queen's lack of touring and by reports from former lovers to various tabloid journals. ^[42] Toward the end of his life, he was routinely stalked by photographers, while the daily tabloid newspaper The Sun featured a series of articles claiming that he was seriously ill. The Sun is a Tabloid daily newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Ireland with the highest circulation of any daily English-language

On November 22, 1991, Mercury called Queen's manager Jim Beach over to his Kensington home, to discuss a public statement. Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The next day, November 23, the following announcement was made to the press on behalf of Mercury:^[43]

“

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. Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of 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 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.

”

A little over 24 hours after issuing the statement, Mercury died on November 24, 1991 at the age of 45. Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The official cause of death was bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS. Bronchopneumonia (also known as lobular pneumonia) is a type of Pneumonia characterized by multiple foci of isolated acute consolidation affecting one or more ^[44] Although he had not attended religious services in years, Mercury's funeral was conducted by a Zoroastrian priest. Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings Singers Elton John, David Bowie, and the remaining members of Queen attended the funeral. Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. He was cremated at Kensal Green Cemetery. Cremation is the act of reducing a Corpse by burning, generally in a crematorium furnace or crematory fire Kensal Green Cemetery is a burial ground located in Kensal Green, London, England.

In his will Mercury left the vast majority of his wealth, including his home and recording royalties, to Mary Austin, and the remainder to his parents and sister. He further left £500,000 to his chef Joe Fanelli, £500,000 to his personal assistant Peter Freestone, £100,000 to his driver Terry Giddings, and £500,000 to his partner, Jim Hutton. ^[45] Mary Austin continues to live at Mercury's home, Garden Lodge, Kensington, with her family. ^[45]

Jim Hutton moved back to his native Ireland permanently in 1995, where he still lives. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 He was involved in a 2000 biography of Mercury, Freddie Mercury, the Untold Story^[46], and also gave an interview for The Times for what would have been Mercury's 60th birthday. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ^[47]

Criticism and controversy

HIV status

Mercury has been criticized for the fact that he hid his HIV status from the public for many years, waiting until the day before he died to admit that he had AIDS. It has been suggested that he could have raised a great deal of money and awareness by speaking truthfully and honestly about his situation and his fight against the disease. ^[21][48]

Ethnicity

Mercury has also been criticised for having kept his Parsi ethnicity a secret from the public. As a journalist from The Times observed, "Freddie himself always played down his Indian origins. The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. In the few interviews he gave, he remained deliberately unclear about them. "^[1] A close friend of Mercury's further related to biographer David Bret: "[Farrokh] Bulsara was a name he had buried. David Bret (born 8 November 1954 in Paris) is a French -born Author of Showbiz Biographies. He never wanted to talk about any period in his life before he became Freddie Mercury, and everything about Freddie Mercury was a self-constructed thing. "^[49] A journalist from Times Online compared him to Michael Jackson: "He wanted to pass as a white European rock’n’roll star. The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman Curiously, people are horrified that Michael Jackson should be in such denial of his ethnic origins and yet don’t mind Mercury doing the same thing. "^[3]

Sexual orientation

While some critics have suggested that Mercury hid his sexual orientation from the public,^[1][4][3] other sources refer to the singer as having been "openly gay". ^[2][50] In fact, Mercury referred to himself as "gay" in a 1974 interview with NME magazine. The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music Magazine in the United Kingdom which has been ^[51] On the other hand, he would often distance himself from partner Jim Hutton during public events in the 1980s. ^[38] A writer for a gay online newspaper felt that audiences may have been overly naive about the matter: "While in many respects he was overtly queer his whole career ('I am as gay as a daffodil, my dear' being one of his most famous quotes), his sexual orientation seemed to pass over the heads of scrutinising audiences and pundits (both gay and straight) for decades. "^[52] John Marshall of Gay Times expressed the following opinion in 1992: "He [Mercury] was a 'scene-queen', not afraid to publicly express his gayness but unwilling to analyse or justify his lifestyle. Gay Times (branded as 'GT' is the United Kingdom 's leading Gay Magazine, for gay and bisexual men . . . It was as if Freddie Mercury was saying to the world, 'I am what I am. So what?' And that in itself was a statement. "^[52]

Other controversies

Mercury and Queen were widely criticised in the 1980s for the fact that they broke a United Nations cultural boycott by performing a series of shows at Sun City in 1984, an entertainment complex in Bophuthatswana, a homeland of (then) apartheid South Africa. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Sun City is a luxury South African Casino resort situated in the North West Province. Bophuthatswana (meaning gathering of the Tswana people) was a Bantustan ("homeland" in the northwest of South Africa. As a result of these shows, Queen was placed on a United Nations list of blacklisted artists and widely criticised in magazines such as the NME. The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music Magazine in the United Kingdom which has been ^[24]

A further controversy ensued in August 2006, when an organisation calling itself the Islamic Mobilization and Propagation petitioned the Zanzibar government's culture ministry, demanding that a large-scale celebration of what would have been Mercury's sixtieth birthday be cancelled. Zanzibar ( is part of the East African republic of Tanzania. It consists of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the The organisation issued several complaints about the planned celebrations, including that Mercury was not a true Zanzibari and that he was bisexual, which is not in accordance with the laws of Islam, the dominant religion of the island. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The organisation claimed that "associating Mercury with Zanzibar degrades our island as a place of Islam. "^[50] The planned celebration was cancelled.

Legacy

Appearances in lists of influential individuals

Several popularity polls conducted over the past decade indicate that Mercury's reputation may in fact have been enhanced since his death. For instance, in 2002 he appeared in the 58th spot in a list of the "100 Greatest Britons", sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public. ^[53] He was further listed at the 52nd spot in a 2007 Japanese national survey of the 100 most "influential heroes". For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. ^[54] Despite the fact that he had been criticised by gay activists for hiding his HIV status, author Paul Russell included Mercury in his book "The Gay 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Gay Men and Lesbians, Past and Present. "^[55] Other entertainers on Russell's list included Liberace and Rock Hudson. Wladziu Valentino Liberace He had a twin who died at birth and he was born with a Caul, which in his family as in many societies was taken as a sign of genius and an exceptional Rock Hudson (November 17 1925 &ndash October 2 1985 was an American Film and Television Actor, recognised as a romantic leading man during In 2006, Time Asia magazine named him as one of the most influential Asians heroes of the past 60 years: The article credited Mercury with having "duplicated in popular music what other Indians — such as Salman Rushdie and Vikram Seth — have done in literature: taking the colonizer's art form and representing it in a manner richer and more dazzling than many Anglophones thought possible. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Asian or Asiatic is a Demonym for people from Asia. However the use of the term varies by country and person often referring to people from a particular Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie Kt (born 19 June 1947 is an Indian - British novelist and essayist Vikram Seth (विक्रम सेठ pronounced /vɪkrəm seːʈʰ/ born June 20, 1952 is an Indian Poet, Novelist, travel "^[2]

Continued popularity

In the UK, Queen have now spent more collective weeks on the UK Album Charts than any other musical act (including The Beatles),^[56] and Queen's Greatest Hits is the highest selling album of all time in the UK. The UK Albums Chart is a list of Albums ranked by sales in the United Kingdom. ^[57] Estimates of the band's total worldwide record sales to date have been set as high as 300 million. ^[58] Two of Mercury's songs, "We Are the Champions" and "Bohemian Rhapsody", have each been voted as the greatest song of all time in major polls by Sony Ericsson^[59] and Guinness World Records,^[60] respectively. See also Af banen (Danish film also known as We Are the Champions See also We Are the Champions (TV series " We Are the Champions is a Song written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album ''A Night at the Opera''. Sony Ericsson is a Joint venture established in 2001 by the Japanese Consumer electronics Company Sony Corporation and the Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U The former poll was an attempt to determine the world's favourite song, while the Guinness poll took place in the UK. In October of 2007, the video for "Bohemian Rhapsody" was voted as the greatest of all time by readers of Q magazine. Q is a Music Magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 130179 as of June 2007 ^[61] Mercury was also voted second to Mariah Carey in MTV's 22 Greatest Voices in Music. ^[2]

The extent to which Mercury's death may have enhanced Queen's popularity is not clear. In the United States, where Queen's popularity had lagged in the 1980s, sales of Queen albums went up dramatically in 1992, the year following his death. ^[62] In 1992 one American critic noted, "what cynics call the 'dead star' factor had come into play — Queen is in the middle of a major resurgence. "^[63] The movie Wayne's World, which featured "Bohemian Rhapsody," also came out in 1992. Wayne's World is a 1992 Comedy film starring Mike Myers as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar hosts of the Aurora

Tributes

A statue in Montreux, Switzerland (by sculptor Irena Sedlecka) has been erected as a tribute to Mercury. A statue is a Sculpture in the round representing a person or persons an animal or an event normally full-length as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size Montreux is a municipality in the district of Vevey in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Irena Sedlecká (born September 7, 1928 in Plzeň, Czechoslovakia, nowadays Czech Republic) is a Czech sculptor Beginning in 2003, fans from around the world gather in Switzerland annually to pay tribute to the singer as part of the "Freddie Mercury Montreux Memorial Day" on the first weekend of September. ^[64] The statue itself stands 3 metres high overlooking Lake Geneva and was unveiled on 25 November 1996 by Freddie's father and Montserrat Caballé. Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) A Royal Mail stamp was issued in honour of Mercury as part of the Millennium Stamp series. Royal Mail is the national postal service of the United Kingdom. A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services A Millennium stamp is a Postage stamp issued by a Postal administration commemorating a Millennium associated with that country's history but several countries A plaque was also erected at the site of the family home in Feltham where Mercury and his family moved upon arriving in England in 1964. Feltham is a town in the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located about 13 miles (21 km west-southwest of central London at Charing Cross, 2 miles (3 Others carried tributes to "the" singer of all the time: Robbie Williams and George Michael. Robert Peter Maximilian Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου (born 25 June 1963 best known as George Michael, is a two-time Grammy Award winning In the anime Cromartie High School, a character also named Freddie is based on Mercury in his appearance and rock star qualities. by Eiji Nonaka is a Japanese comedy Manga, which was subsequently adapted into an Anime and a live-action movie

Importance in AIDS history

Freddie Mercury's death represented an important event in the history of AIDS. ^[65] In the spring of 1992, the remaining members of Queen founded The Mercury Phoenix Trust and organised The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness. The Mercury Phoenix Trust is a charity organisation that fights AIDS worldwide The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was an open-air concert held on Easter Monday, April 20 1992 at ^[66] The Mercury Phoenix Trust has since raised millions of pounds for various AIDS charities. The Mercury Phoenix Trust is a charity organisation that fights AIDS worldwide The tribute concert, which took place at Wembley Stadium for an audience of 72,000, featured a wide variety of guests including Robert Plant, Extreme, Elton John, Metallica, David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Tony Iommi, Guns N' Roses, Elizabeth Taylor, George Michael, Def Leppard and Liza Minnelli. original Wembley Stadium was a football Stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948 West Bromwich, England) is an English rock singer and songwriter famous for his membership in the Extreme is an American rock band that achieved popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in. David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. Annie Lennox (born 25 December 1954 is a Scottish born British Musician, Vocalist and Academy Award -winning Songwriter Frank Anthony "Iommi (born February 19 1948, in Aston, Birmingham England) is an English Guitarist and Songwriter Guns N' Roses is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (born 27 February 1932) is a two-time Academy Award -winning English-American actress Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου (born 25 June 1963 best known as George Michael, is a two-time Grammy Award winning Liza May Minnelli (born March 12, 1946) is a legendary American actress and singer The concert was broadcast live to 76 countries and had an estimated viewing audience of 1 billion. ^[67]

Discography

Main article: Freddie Mercury discography

See also: Queen discography

Instruments used by Mercury

Grand pianos: Baldwin SD10 Concert Grand Bechstein D Concert Grand at the Trident Studios in London. This is a discography of works by Freddie Mercury as a solo artist This is a Discography of works by Queen. Since 1973 the British rock band has released a total of fifteen studio albums five live albums numerous The Baldwin Piano Company is the largest US -based manufacturer of Keyboard instruments most notably Pianos It is a subsidiary of the Gibson Guitar C Bechstein Pianofortefabrik AG ( (also known as Bechstein) is a German manufacturer of Pianos highly regarded for their concert Grand pianos Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Bechstein S Baby Grand Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand Kawai RX7 Concert Grand Steinway D Concert Grand Steinway S Baby Grand White Baby Grand (unknown brand) Yamaha C1 Baby Grand Yamaha C7 Concert Grand Yamaha CFIIIS Concert Grand Yamaha SF Concert Baby Grand (Zissou Edition) Upright pianos: Chappell Upright (unknown brand)

Electronic pianos: Roland RD1000 Wurlitzer EP200 Yamaha CP80 Synthesizers and samplers: E-mu Emulator II+ Fairlight CMIIIS Korg M1 Kurzweil K250 Oberheim OB8 Oberheim OBX Oberheim OBXA Roland Jupiter 8 Yamaha DX7 Other keyboard: Hammond organ Harpsichord (unknown brand)

Guitars: Ovation 12-string White Fender Telecaster

Notes

References

Bibliography

Further reading

Persondata
NAME	Mercury, Freddie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Bulsara, Farrokh Bomi(real name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION	British South Asian rock musician
DATE OF BIRTH	September 5, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH	Zanzibar
DATE OF DEATH	November 24, 1991
PLACE OF DEATH	Kensington, London, England

allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. Lastfm is a UK -based Internet radio and Music Community website, founded in 2002 British Asians are British citizens who are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Zanzibar ( is part of the East African republic of Tanzania. It consists of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Kensington is a district of West London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, located west of Charing Cross. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

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