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Freddie Mercury was once quoted as saying: "The most important thing, darling, is to live a fabulous life. As long as it's fabulous I don't care how long I live." It's said he died with a smile on his face. |
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Freddie Mercury was born Farok Bulsara in Zanzibar in 1946. Mercury's family moved to Bombay when he
was small, before finally resettling in England. After leaving school with an "A" level in art, Mercury
went to Ealing College to study graphic design. He left in 1969 with a diploma. In the same year he
joined his first band: IBEX.
Over the next few years Mercury would move from band to band, eventually joining an outfit called Smile. In 1971 Smile changed its name to Queen and signed to EMI shortly after. The first album received modest success and it wasn't until Queen II that the band secured a top ten hit with the single Seven Seas of Rye. In 1975 A Night At The Opera was released, and from it, Bohemian Rhapsody. At first record execs were reluctant to release the single. At almost six minutes it was thought to drag on. It was eventually released, made number one and stayed there for nine weeks. The accompanying promotional film with its (now not so) special effects is credited for kick starting the video age. Within ten years the band had shifted 60 million records and declared the highest paid company directors in Britain. "Darling, I'm simply dripping with money. It may be vulgar but it's wonderful," said Mercury. By now, Queen's worldwide fan base was selling out stadiums. Although a four piece, it was Mercury's sheer magnetism that carried the show. "I'm so powerful on stage I seem to have created a monster," he said. Off stage, Mercury could be a shy, insecure man who collected stamps and kept cats. He loved opera and ballet. Not that he wasn't rock 'n' roll. His favourite pastime was throwing parties, the more outlandish and debauched the better: "Excess is part of my nature. Dullness is a disease." When, in 1991, Queen released the video for These Are The Days Of Our Lives, Mercury's appearance shocked everyone. (The US version featured a Disney animation instead). Rumours began to circulate that Mercury had AIDS. They were denied. Then on November 23 a statement was released: "Following enormous conjecture in the press, I wish to confirm I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private in order to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has now come for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth." Freddie Mercury died of AIDS related bronchial pneumonia the next day. Another statement was released: "We have lost the greatest and most beloved member of our family. We feel overwhelming sadness that he should be cut down at the height of his creativity, but above all great pride in the courageous way he lived and died." He was 45. Freddie Mercury's life was no where near long enough, but it certainly was fabulous.
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