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Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24
November 1991) was a British rock musician and songwriter, best known as the lead
singer of the rock band Queen and often heralded as one of the best rock singers of
all time. He is remembered for his vocal abilities and charisma as a live
performer. As a songwriter, he composed many international hits, including "Killer
Queen", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Somebody to Love", "We Are the Champions" and "Crazy
Little Thing Called Love". In late 1991, Mercury died of Bronchopneumonia brought
on by AIDS.
Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on the African island of Zanzibar, at the
time a British colony, now part of Tanzania. His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara,
were Parsi-Zoroastrians from India. The family had emigrated to Zanzibar from India
in order for Bomi to continue his job as a middle-ranking cashier at the British
Colonial Office. Mercury had one younger sister, Kashmira.
Mercury was sent back to India to attend St. Peter's boarding school at Panchgani
near Bombay (now Mumbai). It was at St. Peter's where he learned to play the piano
and joined his first band, The Hectics. He remained in India for most of his
childhood, living with his grandmother and aunt. Later, he also attended the
Cathedral and John Connon School. Mercury completed his education in India at St.
Mary's High School in Mazagon before returning to Zanzibar. He was 17 when he and
his family finally fled to England as a result of the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution.
Shortly after arriving in England, Mercury enrolled as a student at Isleworth
Polytechnic (now called West Thames College) in West London where he studied art at
foundation level. It was here that he also made his stage debut in England,
performing in a play by Arnold Wesker called ‘The Kitchen’. Fellow students
remember him as a shy but friendly person who was, even then, musically
inclined.
Mercury (third from right) at college with his friends in 1964.At this time he
regularly went to gigs at Eel Pie Island with his friends to see artists such as
Rod Stewart, Long John Baldry, The Downliners Sect, Brian Auger, The Artwoods and
several black American blues artists, an experience which must have had an
influence on him as a performer.
During the late 1960s, he could be found selling second-hand clothes in Kensington
Market in London, where he and his closest associates would meet to plan gigs and
parties (presumably while he was still at Ealing College).
Later, he earned a Diploma in Art and Graphic Design at Ealing Art College. He
later used these skills in order to design the Queen crest.
Although he had a very close girlfriend named Mary Austin for many years, Freddie
Mercury had always been fairly open about his bisexuality. Beginning in the mid
1970s, Mercury began a series of affairs with men, which ultimately resulted in the
end of his relationship with Austin. However, the two remained close friends
through the years, and Mercury often referred to Austin 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. I couldn't fall in
love with a man the same way as I have with Mary."
In 1983, Mercury found a new lover named Jim Hutton. Hutton lived with Mercury for
the last six years of his life, cared for him when he was ill, and was at his
bedside when he died. According to Hutton, Mercury referred to him as his husband,
and died wearing a wedding band that Hutton had given him.
Mercury possessed a notable overbite of his teeth that he had wanted to fix for
many years. Early in his career, he commented that he wished to have work done, but
regretted that he did not have time to do it.
According to the January 2004 edition of Cat Fancy, Mercury possessed a great
fondness for cats, at one point owning as many as ten. Mercury's personal
assistant, Peter Freestone, wrote that his boss "put as much importance on them as
any human life." The album Mr. Bad Guy and the song "Delilah" were dedicated to
cats, and Mercury wore clothes featuring cats in videos and on album covers.
Mercury kept his Indian descent a secret from most of his fans, rarely mentioning
his heritage in interviews. Many friends expressed their view that Mercury felt
ashamed of his ethnic origins and feared racial backlash in a country that had long
been troubled by race riots and violence against Indian immigrants. On the other
hand, fellow band mate Roger Taylor suggested that Mercury downplayed his Indian
heritage simply because he did not feel that it would fit well with his rock
musician persona.
According to Hutton in his book "Mercury and Me", Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS
in the spring of 1987. Mercury claimed to have tested negative in an interview
published that year, and continued to deny that he had AIDS. Despite these denials,
the British press continued to pursue the rampant rumours about his health, likely
fuelled by Mercury's appearance during the final years of his life. His gaunt
appearance in his last video, "These Are the Days of Our Lives", suggested serious
illness.
On November 22, 1991, Mercury called Queen's manager Jim Beach over to his
Kensington home, to discuss a public statement. The next day, November 23, the
following announcement was made to the press:
“ 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 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, Freddie Mercury died at the age
of 45. The official cause of death was bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS.
Although he had not attended religious services in years, Mercury's funeral was
conducted by a Zoroastrian priest. He was cremated at Kensal Green Cemetery, and
the whereabouts of his ashes are unknown, although some believe them to have been
dispersed into Lake Geneva. The remaining members of Queen (May, Taylor and Deacon)
founded The Mercury Phoenix Trust and organised The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
for AIDS Awareness. He left £500,000 to his chef, £500,000 to his personal
assistant, £100,000 to his driver, and £500,000 to his partner, Jim Hutton. Mary
Austin, his life-long friend, inherited the estate and now lives there with her
family.
Source : Some of the information on
this page came from a Wikipedia article and is licensed under the GNU
Documentation License. ©2008 www.geneticmatrix.com.
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