What was Freddie Mercury like? Freddie Mercury: biography, terrible illness and death. Facts from life

Freddie Mercury, real name Farrukh Bulsara (guj. ફારોખ બલ્સારા‌). Born 5 September 1946 in Stone Town, Zanzibar - died 24 November 1991 in London, UK. British singer of Parsi origin, songwriter, vocalist of the rock band Queen.

He was the author of such group hits as “Seven Seas of Rhye”, “Killer Queen”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Somebody to Love”, “We Are the Champions”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, etc. The musician also did solo work creativity. Freddie died on November 24, 1991 from bronchial pneumonia that developed against the background of AIDS.

In 2002, Freddie Mercury was ranked 58th in the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons poll.

In 2005, Blender magazine conducted a survey, according to which Freddie took second place among vocalists (first among men). In 2008, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 18 on its list of "Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Vocalists of All Time". Allmusic described him as "one of rock's greatest singers and the owner of one of the greatest voices in music history."

Freddie Mercury was born on September 5, 1946 in Stone Town - the oldest district of Zanzibar city on the island of the same name in the Parsi family Bomi (1908 - 12/25/2003) and Jer (born 09/29/1922) Bulsara. At birth, the boy received the name Farrukh, which means “beautiful”, “happy”. His father worked as a cashier at the Supreme Court of England and Wales. In 1952, Farrukh had a sister, Kashmira.

In 1954, Farrukh's parents enrolled him in St. Peter's School in Panchgani, 500 kilometers from Bombay. At that time, Bollywood singer Lata Mangeshkar had a significant formative influence on him from a musical point of view. In Panchgani, the boy began to live with his grandfather and aunt. The name Farrukh was difficult for his (mostly English-speaking) classmates to pronounce, so his friends began calling him Freddy.

All sports at St. Peter's School were typically British. Freddie didn't like cricket or long-distance running - he preferred hockey, sprinting and boxing. At the age of ten he became the school champion in table tennis, at the age of twelve he received a cup for victory in the youth all-around, as well as a diploma “for excellence in all sciences and arts.” Freddie was a good student, showed interest in music and painting, and constantly made drawings for friends and relatives. He also sang in the school choir and took part in stage plays.

From an early age he was interested in music. Singing took up almost all of his free time, sometimes to the detriment of his studies. The principal of St. Peter's School drew attention to Freddie's musical abilities. He wrote a letter to the boy's parents in which he offered to organize piano lessons for Freddie for a small fee. The parents agreed, and Freddie began to study with enthusiasm. Upon completion of his studies, he received a fourth degree in theory and practice (Piano Grade IV).

In 1958, five friends from St. Peter's School - Freddie Bulsara, Derrick Branch, Bruce Murray, Farang Irani and Victor Rana - formed their first rock band, which they called The Hectics(Russian: Psychos). The group played at school functions, dances and anniversaries.

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In 1962, sixteen-year-old Freddie graduated from St. Peter's School in Panchgani and returned to Zanzibar. In early 1964, the British government transferred authority over Zanzibar to the Arab Sultan, and a week later Zanzibar was declared an independent state. Due to political unrest in the country, the Bulsara family, taking only two suitcases with clothes, flew to the UK.

Arriving in England, the Bulsara family first stayed with relatives who lived in Feltham, Middlesex, then they bought their own house. Freddie, who was eighteen years old at that time, entered Islesworth Polytechnic School, where he studied mainly painting, as he wanted to go to art college.

The family had money problems, so during the holidays Freddie had to work part-time. He first worked in the supply department at Heathrow Airport in London, then as a loader at the Feltham warehouse. His colleagues noticed his “delicate” hands, which were not suitable for this job. Freddie answered their questions that he was a musician and worked as a loader only in his free time. Thanks to Freddie's charm, other movers began to take on the lion's share of his work.

In May 1966, having graduated from Islesworth with a high grade in painting, Freddie was interviewed at Ealing College of Art in London, where he began studying graphic illustration in the autumn of that year.

Shortly after this, Freddie left his parents' house and moved into a rented apartment in Kensington with his friend Chris Smith. Kensington in those years was the heart of London bohemia and art. Freddie drew a lot; his idol, guitarist Jimi Hendrix, occupied a special place in his drawings. In Ealing, Freddie met and became friends with Tim Staffel, vocalist, bass guitarist and leader of the band Smile. After some time, Tim began to invite Freddie to the band's rehearsals. Freddie appreciated the potential of Smile, especially the playing of guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Freddie also met other young aspiring musicians, such as Tim and Nigel Foster. Chris Smith, his flatmate, was also into music. Freddie and Chris played together, trying to mix different styles, but did not go on stage.

In the summer of 1969, twenty-three-year-old Freddie graduated from Ealing with a degree in graphic design. Freddie soon moved in with Roger Taylor, and they opened a shop in Kensington Market, where they sold both Freddie's paintings and other goods.

On August 13, Freddie met the Liverpool group Ibex. The group consisted of guitarist Mike Berzin, bass guitarist John Taylor, nicknamed Tupp, drummer Mick Smith, nicknamed Miffer (from the English miff - “get angry”, “spoil the mood”) and another bass guitarist Jeff Higgins, who replaced Tupp, when he played the flute. Their manager Ken Testi was with them. Ten days after the meeting, Freddie already knew the entire repertoire of the group, added a few of his songs and went with them to their first joint concert, in Bolton, Lancashire. Their concerts took place as part of the annual blues festival, so the events were covered by the press. Ibex concerts took place on August 23 at the Octagon Theater and on August 25 at Queen's Park. Ibex performed cover versions of songs by Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin - Freddie's favorites.

In September-October 1969, at Freddie's suggestion, the group was renamed Wreckage ("Wreckage"), and Freddie used a trick to convince everyone to change the name of the group. After a short time, Miffer left the group, and his place was taken by Richard Thompson, ex-drummer of the 1984 group, in which Brian May played before Smile. After renaming, Wreckage gave several concerts, but soon, largely due to the fact that Mike Berzin returned to Liverpool to study, the group broke up.

Freddie decided to find himself a new group. Among the advertisements in Melody Maker, he found a vacancy as a vocalist in the group Sour Milk Sea. Freddie came to the audition and was accepted on the same day, as the other participants liked his voice and way of moving. The band consisted of vocalist-guitarist Chris Chesney, bassist Paul Milne, rhythm guitarist Jeremy "Rubber" Gallop and drummer Rob Tyrell. After several rehearsals, the group played a couple of concerts in Oxford, Chris's hometown.

Freddie and Chris became friends, and soon Chris moved into the apartment where Freddie and the musicians from Smile lived. The remaining members of Sour Milk Sea did not like their friendship, citing concern for the future of the group. As a result, after two months, Jeremy took almost all the equipment (since it belonged to him), and this was the end of Sour Milk Sea.

In April 1970, Tim Staffel decided to leave Smile, and Freddie took the place of vocalist in their group. On his initiative, the group was renamed Queen.

Until February 1971, the group did not have a permanent bass player - in less than a year, Queen replaced three people. Finally, at one of the music parties, they met John Deacon, whose abilities best suited the group professionally. After this, Queen formed their final line-up.

After the group's composition became permanent, Freddie decided to draw its coat of arms. According to one version, the coat of arms of Great Britain was taken as a basis, with the Latin letter Q, around which the zodiac signs of the Queen members are “woven”: two Leos - John Deacon and Roger Taylor, a crab crawling out of the fire - the sign of Cancer - Brian May. Two fairies with wings are kind helpers for the heroes from the British epic (also Freddie's zodiac sign is Virgo).

In 1972, during the recording of Queen's debut album at Trident studio, Freddie decided to change his surname Bulsara to the creative pseudonym “Mercury” (from the English Mercury - “Mercury” and “Mercury”). He used this name in his song "My Fairy King", which contains the lines: "Mother Mercury, look what they've done to me, I cannot run I cannot hide" (Mother Mercury, option: mercury ), look what they did to me, I can't run, I can't hide). In parallel with the work on the first album - Queen - Freddie took part in a project of Trident Studios under the pseudonym Larry Lurex, performing cover versions of the songs “I Can Hear Music” and “Going Back” (on the initiative of Freddie Mercury, Brian May was involved in this project and Roger Taylor).

Freddie wrote the first Queen song to hit the British charts, “Seven Seas of Rhye” (1973). He also composed the group’s first hit, “Killer Queen” (1974), as well as Queen’s most successful composition, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The song was predicted to fail due to its length being too long by the standards of that time for a single and for playback on commercial radio stations (5:55) and mixing several styles and genres of music. But Queen released the song as a single and shot a video clip for it, which became a revolution in music videos, some even call it the “first video clip,” although videos for songs had been shot before. The song stayed at the top of the British charts for nine weeks.

In 1975, Queen toured Japan. Freddie fell in love with Japan and became a fanatical collector of Japanese art.

On October 7, 1979, Freddie's long-time dream came true - he performed with the Royal Ballet. For his performance, he chose the songs “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”

In 1980, Freddie changed his image - he cut his hair short and grew a mustache.

At the end of 1982, Queen announced that there would be no touring next year and the group was going on vacation. Freddie Mercury has long been mulling over the idea of ​​releasing a solo album and now the opportunity has arisen for this. At the beginning of 1983, he began recording at Musicland Studios in Munich. During this time, he met composer Giorgio Moroder, who was involved in a project to restore Fritz Lang's 1926 silent science fiction film Metropolis. Moroder was brought in as a composer to create a contemporary-style score for the film. He invited Mercury to take part in this project. The result of the collaboration between Mercury and Moroder was the song “Love Kills”, released on September 10, 1984.

At the end of May 1983, Freddie Mercury attended Verdi's opera Un ballo in maschera. Here he first saw and heard the outstanding Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballe. The extraordinary beauty and power of her voice made a huge impression on him.

The first single of Mercury's future solo album Mr. Bad Guy became the song "I Was Born to Love You", released on April 9, 1985. The album was released three weeks later through CBS Records. Subsequently, two songs from this album, "Made in Heaven" and "I Was Born to Love You", were included on the album "Made in Heaven", released by Queen in 1995.

July 13, 1985 was a special day for Queen and Freddie. On this day, the Live Aid concert took place - a grand show at Wembley Stadium, where 75 thousand spectators and many famous performers were present, such as Sting, U2 and many others (parallel to the show at Wembley there was a concert in Philadelphia). The concert was broadcast on television all over the world. With their performance, Queen secured their place in history, and observers, journalists, fans and critics declared that the group was the highlight of the program.

A year later, on July 12, 1986, Queen performed again at Wembley as part of the Magic Tour in support of their album A Kind of Magic. This concert was attended by over 120,000 people and was later published as Queen at Wembley. The final show of the tour at Knebworth on 9 August was Queen's last performance with Mercury.

On February 23, 1987, Freddie Mercury released the single "The Great Pretender" (a cover version of a song by The Platters, recorded at Townhouse Studios). He also recorded two songs for the 1986 musical Time - the eponymous "Time" and "In My Defense".

In March 1987, Freddie Mercury met with Montserrat Caballe in Barcelona and gave her a cassette with several of his new songs. These songs made a strong impression on Caballe, and she even performed one of them, to the surprise of Freddie Mercury, at a concert in London, in Covent Garden.

In early April 1987, Mercury and Caballe began work on a joint album. At the end of May, a music festival was held at the famous Ku Club on the island of Ibiza, where Mercury and Caballe were guests of honor. They performed the song “Barcelona” at the festival, which Freddie Mercury dedicated to his hometown of Caballe. On October 8, 1988, at the La Nit festival in Barcelona, ​​Mercury and Caballe performed for the second time together - they performed three songs: “Golden Boy”, “How Can I Go On” and “Barcelona”. Co-writer of these songs Mike Moran performed the piano parts for these songs. This performance was Freddie Mercury's last appearance in front of the public. By this time, the musician was already seriously ill with AIDS.

Album Barcelona released October 10, 1988. The album's title track, "Barcelona", was one of two anthems for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona (the other being "Amigos Para Siempre" by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black, performed by Sarah Brightman and José Carreras).

In 1986, rumors began to appear that Freddie Mercury had AIDS. Initially, information was leaked to the press that he had taken an HIV test. Since 1989, serious changes in Mercury's appearance began to appear - he lost a lot of weight. However, until the last days of his life, the musician denied all rumors regarding his health. Only his close people knew about his terrible diagnosis.

In 1989, Queen gave their first joint radio interview in several years, where they announced that they wanted to deviate from the usual album-tour pattern, and therefore would not go on tour this time. The real reason was that the physical condition of the band's vocalist did not allow him to hold concerts.

Mercury, knowing that there was little time left, tried to record as many songs as possible. In the last years of his life, in addition to his solo album Barcelona, ​​the musician managed to record songs for three more albums of the group. During his lifetime, two albums were released - The Miracle, which was released in 1989, and Innuendo, released in 1991. Also, several video clips were shot for the songs of these albums. For the last lifetime album, the videos were shot in black and white to disguise the physical condition of the band's vocalist. After the death of Freddie Mercury, the remaining members of the group, using recordings of his voice, were able to release their last album, Queen Made in Heaven, in 1995.

On November 23, 1991, Freddie made an official statement that he was sick with HIV infection: "Given the rumors that have been circulating in the press for the past two weeks, I want to confirm that my blood test showed the presence of HIV. I have AIDS. I felt it necessary to keep this information secret in order to keep the peace of my family and friends. However, the time has come to tell the truth to my friends and fans all over the world. I hope everyone will join the fight against this terrible disease.".

He also ordered the transfer of all rights to the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" to the Terence Higgins Foundation, created to combat HIV and AIDS.

The next day, November 24, at about seven o'clock in the evening, Freddie Mercury died in his home in London from bronchopneumonia, which developed against the background of HIV infection and AIDS. After news of his death broke, thousands of people came to the grounds of his Garden Lodge to place bouquets of flowers, cards, letters and photographs on the paths.

Freddie Mercury's funeral was held closed - only family and friends were present. Although the musician no longer followed Zoroastrian beliefs as an adult, his Zoroastrian parents conducted a funeral ceremony in accordance with their beliefs, with the exception of cremation of the body, which is not encouraged according to Zoroastrian customs.

Peter Freestone, Freddie Mercury's personal assistant, described the ceremony as follows: “Freddie’s coffin was carried into the chapel to the sounds of Aretha Franklin’s song “You’ve Got a Friend.” The Zoroastrian rite that followed was a continuation of the ceremony that began at half past nine in the morning. Two Parsi priests, dressed in white robes, performed it in the funeral chapel John Nods and Sons funeral home in Ladbok Grove. ...At the end of the service, Freddie's body left the world accompanied by the voice of Montserrat Caballe, who performed the aria "D'Amor Sull' Ali Rosee" from Verdi's opera Il Trovatore. Freddie never strived to be like everyone else - such adieu was just in his spirit, and Freddie would have approved of it".

Freddie Mercury's body was cremated. Only his family and Mary Austin knew where the musician's ashes rested - that was his wish. At the beginning of 2013, The Daily Mirror reported that the resting place of the artist's ashes had been discovered by fans - this is Kensal Green Cemetery in West London.

In his will, Freddie Mercury left most of his estate, including the mansion and income from his record sales, to Mary Austin, as well as to his parents and sister. In addition, 500 thousand pounds were bequeathed to his chef Joe Fanelli, personal assistant Peter Freestone, 100 thousand pounds to his personal driver Terry Giddings and 500 thousand pounds to Jim Hutton. Jim Hutton returned to Ireland in 1995, where he died on January 1, 2010 from lung cancer.

Freddie Mercury was and still remains one of the most popular performers in the whole world. His incredible stage images and eccentric behavior on stage are known even to people far from music. On April 20, 1992, the remaining members of Queen Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, along with many world pop and rock stars, gave a concert in memory of Freddie at Wembley Stadium, the proceeds of which, amounting to £19,400,000, were directed to the foundation fight against AIDS. On November 6, 1995, the album Made in Heaven was released, featuring recordings made during the spring sessions at Dreamland Studios in Montreux in 1991.

On November 25, 1996, 5 years after the death of Freddie Mercury, a monument to him was unveiled in Montreux (Switzerland), where the musician worked and rested for many years.

Queen originally planned to erect a monument in London, and for four years they looked for a place there for it, but they were refused. The only location proposed for the monument in London by the government was the backyard of the art college where Freddie studied. Friends considered this an insult to the memory of the great musician. On June 18, 2003, in London, near the Dominion Theatre, where We Will Rock You is regularly staged, another monument about 8 meters high was unveiled.

The name Freddie Mercury has become a kind of brand in music, synonymous with rock of the 80s. Many modern singers take Freddie's image, performing style and image as a model, but no one has yet managed to achieve the same success that Freddie Mercury and Queen were able to achieve during their 20 years of collaboration.

The song "Bohemian Rhapsody", which was written by Freddie, was recognized as the "Best Song of the Millennium" by The Official Charts Company. Freddie's second equally famous song was and remains "We Are The Champions", which was in rotation on almost all US radio stations, not to mention the fact that this composition became the unofficial anthem of the winners of major sporting competitions.

Personal life of Freddie Mercury:

At the end of 1969, Freddie Mercury, thanks to Brian May, met Mary Austin in West Kensington, with whom he lived for about seven years. But then they broke up.

They remained close friends, Mercury made her his personal secretary and often admitted that Mary was his only true friend. In an interview in 1985, Mercury said: “All my lovers ask me why they can’t replace Mary for me. But this is simply impossible. She is my only friend and I don't need anyone else. She was actually my wife. We believe in each other and that's enough for me." The singer dedicated several songs to Mary, of which the most significant is the song “Love of My Life.” Mercury was the godfather of Mary's eldest son, Richard, and left her his mansion after his death.

Freddie Mercury had a short relationship with the famous Austrian actress Barbara Valentin, whom he met in 1983. Mercury said of their relationship: “Barbara and I formed a union that was stronger than with any of my interests in the last six years. I could really tell her everything and be myself with her, which is very rare for me.” The musician also mentioned her, among others, in the dedication of his solo album “Mr. Bad Guy": "Thanks for the big tits and bad behavior."

From the very beginning of his popularity, Freddie Mercury's image raised many questions about his sexuality, but Mercury always avoided conversations about his personal life, laughed it off or answered vaguely.

In one of the interviews, when asked whether the song “I Want to Break Free” is dedicated to sexual minorities (in the video the group appeared in the form of female characters from a popular British soap opera), Freddie replied: “The funny thing is that everyone thinks that it was my idea, because people think... But it’s not so. I had something similar in my subconscious, but if I expressed this idea to the rest of the group, they would not agree with it, since it would look as if I was trying to dress them all up as homosexuals, and everyone thought that I was trying to take advantage of situation or something like that. The funny thing is that it was the rest of the band who came to me with the idea... But I was actually shocked that they were actually going to dress up as women."

After the musician’s death, information resources continued to discuss the topic of Mercury’s orientation. Press claims that Freddie was gay were based, in part, on interviews with people who knew Mercury personally. Brian May and Roger Taylor gave an interview a week after Freddie's death, in which Brian May said: “He was gay and he was quite public about it,” and at a concert in memory of Mercury, held in the spring of 1992, George Michael mentioned the singer’s open bisexuality. The book by Mercury's personal assistant, Peter Freestone, described the singer's relationships with several men. Jim Hutton also wrote a book, Mercury and Me, about his relationship with Freddie, which lasted the last six years of the singer's life.

Freddie's friends were such famous people as Montserrat Caballe, Robert Plant, Tim Rice, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Dave Clark, David Bowie, Michael Jackson and many others.

Freddie made four demo recordings with Michael Jackson: two versions of “There Must Be More to Life Than This” (one sung by a duet, the other by Michael Jackson with a few small phrases by Freddie on backing vocals, the composition was later released on Freddie Mercury’s solo album Mr. Bad Guy), "State of Shock" (subsequently released by The Jacksons on the album Victory) and "Victory" (details about this recording are unknown). However, for unknown reasons, the collaboration never materialized. Officially it was said that both musicians were busy.

After the appearance of the songs “Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)”, “Mustapha” and “Las Palabras de Amor (Words of Love)”, many were interested in how many languages ​​Freddie knew. In fact, apart from English, Freddie only spoke his native Gujarati.

At all Queen concerts, Freddie used a microphone with an unfinished stand attached to it. This distinctive sign, which became the singer’s calling card, was formed during his first performances in England as part of the group Wreckage. At the concert, which took place on Christmas Day 1969 at Wade Deacon Girls' School in Widnes, Freddie was jumping and spinning around the stage as usual. He got tired of the heavy microphone stand - he unscrewed its base and “then jumped around the stage in his all-too-familiar manner, clutching the “extra” three-foot rod attached to the microphone in his hand.”

The image of Freddy formed the basis for the design of Sol, one of the main characters in the Guilty Gear series of games.

"A Winter's Tale" is the last song Mercury wrote, and "Mother Love" is the last song he recorded. He was unable to finish the recording, so Brian May sings the last verse.

Mercury was a keen philatelist as a child. His collection was exhibited at philatelic exhibitions in different countries.

Mercury was very fond of cats; over the years, several cats usually lived in his mansion: Oscar, Tiffany, Goliath, Delilah, Miko, Romeo, Lily. He dedicated a song to his cat Delilah.

Film "Freddy is Dead" The Last Nightmare" was released in the year of Freddie Mercury's death, a few months before his death, and the premiere took place on September 5, 1991 - the singer's last birthday.

On May 31, 2011, the British BBC channel aired a two-part documentary about the group Queen called “Queen - Days of Our Lives.”

On September 5, 2011, in honor of the 65th anniversary of Freddie Mercury's birth, the Google search engine was loaded with a special animated screensaver (Doodle) to the song “Don’t Stop Me Now.”

In September 2012, the image of Freddie Mercury was turned into one of the characters in the popular computer game “Angry Birds”. All proceeds from turning Freddie into a computer hero will go to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity dedicated to helping people with AIDS.

Discography of Freddie Mercury:

Mr. Bad Guy (album released April 29, 1985)
Barcelona (album released October 10, 1988)
The Freddie Mercury Album (released November 17, 1992)
The Great Pretender (album released November 24, 1992 US only)
Freddie Mercury – Remixes (album released November 1, 1993 only in Bolivia, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan)
The Solo Collection (box set released October 23, 2000 in the UK, Europe and Japan)
Solo (album released in 2000)
Lover of Life, Singer of Songs (album released September 4, 2006).

Singles by Freddie Mercury:

1974 - “I Can Hear Music”
1984 - “Love Kills”
1985 - “I Was Born to Love You”
1985 - “Made in Heaven”
1985 - “Living on My Own”
1985 - “Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow”
1986 - "Time"
1987 - "The Great Pretender"
1987 - “Barcelona” (with M. Caballe)
1988 - “The Golden Boy” (with M. Caballe)
1988 - “How Can I Go On” (with M. Caballe)

Posthumously published (selectively):

1992 - “Barcelona” (with M. Caballe)
1992 - “How Can I Go On” (with M. Caballe)
1992 - “In My Defense”
1993 - “The Great Pretender”
1993 - “Living on My Own” (No More Brothers Remix)
2006 - “Love Kills” (a series of remixes released for the 60th anniversary)

Freddie Mercury- perhaps the most famous and controversial rock vocalist. With his talent and creativity in Queen, Freddie Mercury gained worldwide fame, and his sudden death after a serious illness made his name truly legendary.

Freddie Mercury - biography

Freddie Mercury was born on the island of Zanzibar off the coast of East Africa. At birth he received the name Farukh Bulsara. As a child, Farukh was fond of sports, studied well at school, and studied piano, which later became one of the main highlights of the performance. At that time he became seriously interested in Indian music. Soon after graduating from school, Farukh and his family hastily left Zanzibar, which in 1964 became a colony of the Arab Sultanate.

In England, Freddie entered a school to study painting, with which he wanted to connect his future life. First, he studied at Islesworth for 2 years and then entered Ealing. It was in Ealing that he met Tim Staffel, who sang and played bass in the band Smile. It’s worth saying that the members of Smile at that time were Roger Taylor and Brian May, aren’t they familiar names?!

Freddie Mercury and Queen

In 1969, a more serious acquaintance of the rock scene and Freddie Mercury. He became a member of the group Ibex, later renamed Wreckage. But the group did not last long and our hero went on to seek happiness further. A few days later he became a member of the group Sour Milk Sea. But this group did not last long and broke up in 1970. Freddie, who by the way lived with the members of that same Smile group, did not remain out of work for long and in April replaced Staffel, who had left the group. From this moment history began to be made...

To begin with, the name of the group was changed from Farukh’s suggestion to Queen (and, as he later said, the main thing in choosing the name was the second meaning of the word queen - “gay”). At the same time, the group could not get into its ranks a full-fledged bassist who would match the high level of musical skill of the other Queen members. Finally, in 1971, a modest guy came to audition for Queen, who soon became a permanent member of the group for more than 20 years.

Moreover, as the “queens” themselves recalled, for a very long time they could not remember his name correctly and called him either Deacon John or John Deacon. In fact, the name of this blond was, as everyone now knows, John Deacon. At the same time, the group acquired its own coat of arms, which included elements of the zodiac signs of each of the band members. Before recording the band's debut album, Farukh Bulsara changed his name and called himself Freddie Mercury. I must say that Freddie Mercury's height was 5 feet 10 inches - approximately 175 cm.

Other feature Freddie Mercury - teeth. The singer had 36 of them - 4 more. They grew in 2 rows, creating an unusual appearance of the musician’s jaw and a special bite.

“Queen I” itself recorded in the studio for two years while no one was working there. The album itself did not receive particularly flattering reviews, but the group continued working and released Queen II a year later. The album reached number 5 in the UK chart. And a few months later, “Sheer Heart Attack” came to his aid. It easily surpassed the success of its predecessors, reaching number two on the chart. This was facilitated by the presence in the playlist of such a hit as Killer Queen (the group released its first video clip for this song), the author of the song was Freddie Mercury.

At this time, the group used stage images that attributed them to glam rock. In particular, Freddie Mercury's look consisted of loose, plain clothes with a cutout on the chest, making him look like a gymnast who had accidentally wandered onto the stage.

In 1975, the group recorded perhaps their most successful album, “A night at the Opera.” Freddie wrote 5 of the 12 songs, including the famous Bohemian Rhapsody, which became a hit and was recently recognized as the song of the millennium. In addition, Mercury also wrote a very personal composition dedicated to his beloved girlfriend Mary Austin.

After this album, the group and, in particular, Mercury came to world fame, which grew stronger every year. But at this time a change occurs in his personal life, which still divides people into two camps. Some consider him a great musician, despite everything, while others disdainfully measure him through the prism of bisexuality.

Changing the image of Freddie Mercury

In 1980, the stage image underwent major changes. He became more masculine - a mustache appeared, but his long hair disappeared. The traditional white jersey also appeared. All this was in good harmony with the cane and microphone, which Freddie used in a smaller form - at the beginning of his career he began to use only an unfinished stand to make it more convenient to hold it in his hands.

In 1985, at the Live Aid concert, a benefit performance by Queen and Mercury took place, captivating the audience.

Back in 1983, Freddie began a solo career in parallel with Queen, releasing only 2 albums. In 1987, he met opera singer Montserrat Caballe and together with her released the album Barcelona. The joint song of Mercury & Caballe - Barcelona became a hit and was even chosen as the anthem of the Olympic Games in Barcelona.

Freddie Mercury: AIDS, cause of death

In 1986, another event happened in Freddie’s life that had a huge impact on his future life and work. Freddie Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS. As a result, he stopped performing concerts and began to lead a more secluded lifestyle, devoting himself to recording songs. At this time, the group recorded material for three full-length albums, which included the song Show must go on, which became associated with Freddie and his fight against the disease.

During his illness, the musician’s appearance changed greatly - his facial features became more feminine and pale, he was only a shadow of the man who performed in front of millions of people and won their hearts.

On November 23, 1991, the musician made an official statement in which he admitted that he had AIDS. The next day, November 24, Freddie Mercury died. His body was cremated and buried secretly from the public. He bequeathed most of his property to his only beloved girlfriend, Mary Austin.

In 1992, a concert was held in memory of the great musician, the proceeds of which were sent to the AIDS Foundation. In 1996, a monument to Freddie Mercury was unveiled in Montreux. He stands with his hand raised, clutching the famous cane in the other.

It is worth noting that his contribution to music was so significant that Freddie even took a respectable 58th place in the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons in History.

Films about Freddie Mercury

Several films have been made about Freddie - documentaries and feature films. In 2006, the documentary film The Untold Story was released. In 2018, a feature film “Bohemian Rhapsody” was shot about the group Queen and Mercury. Movie about Freddie Mercury 2018 appeared in theaters from the beginning of November.

Also in honor of the musician, at least 2 monuments were opened - in Montreux in Switzerland and in London.

“Will my music stand the test of time? I don’t care!” said Freddie. Still, Queen's influence on musical history is difficult to overestimate. Freddie's creativity and personality were once inspired by Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of the British group Muse called Queen the best band in the world. One of the best albums in David Bowie’s discography, “Under Pressure,” was recorded jointly with Mercury. The band (in fairness, Queen's greatness is the result of the efforts of all four members, not just one lead singer) found the perfect balance between commercial and quality music, stadium rock and sincerity.

Childhood and youth

His father Bomi was an accountant at the Supreme Court of England and Wales and earned good money, so the family did not need for anything. Mother, Jer Bulsara, was raising children: Farrukh and his six-year-younger sister Kashmira.

From the first months of his life, Farrukh won the hearts of those around him with his smile. When he was one year old, his parents took a photograph of their son and submitted it to a local photography competition. The jury awarded the broadly smiling baby first place.

The family belonged to the Parsi ethnic group, a people with Iranian roots who profess Zoroastrianism. When Farrukh was 7 years old, he was sent to study in Bombay because it had the largest Parsi community.

The boy was sent to a boarding school named after St. Peter, 100 km from the largest city in India, where he proved himself to be a capable and diligent student and was fond of creativity and sports. My sister recalled that she was only a year old when Farrukh left to study, but she adored her older brother, and the most striking event was his arrival for the holidays.

On weekends, he visited relatives, either on his mother’s side or on his father’s side. The parents' relatives lived there, since both Bomi and Cem were natives of Bombay; they had to move to Zanzibar when the head of the family was transferred there for work.

While at boarding school, Farrukh became interested in music: the Bollywood singer Lata Mengeshkar had a special influence on him. Upon arriving in Bombay, he began taking piano lessons and later became hooked on rock and roll. At 12, he mastered the guitar and, together with his comrades, formed the group The Hectics. In his own words, he knew music notation very poorly, but he devoted every free minute to writing songs.

Farrukh's range of interests was enormous: music, drawing, fashion, theatrical art. Whatever he undertook, success awaited him. Parents proudly kept letters from school, which reported on their son’s high academic performance. Those around him loved him - the young man knew how to win him over from the first moments. At the same time, he was a shy person by nature, but he skillfully hid it. “He was talented in everything. This, of course, made me sick,” admitted Kashmira.

Most of Farrukh's classmates spoke English. It was difficult for them to pronounce his real name, so “Farrukh” quickly transformed into “Freddie.”

At first, the young man felt out of place. He was used to being the most fashionable in his circle, but in Bombay the concept of “fashionable” was interpreted differently. At boarding school, he cut his hair short and wore a distinctly neat suit, while London youth wore long manes and faded jeans and T-shirts. But he quickly assimilated and also grew long hair, which he adored and stared at in front of the mirror for a long time.

During his years of studying at a boarding school, Farrukh got used to independence and was not going to report to his parents when, for example, he embarked on another adventure in nightclubs and arrived in the morning.

Kashmira Bulsara (Kuk) about his older brother

Many scandals in the family were caused by Farrukh’s reluctance to receive higher education. He wanted to be creative; his parents insisted on a serious profession like an accountant or lawyer. The compromise was the graphic design department at Ealing College. Freddie's idols at that time were Jimi Hendrix and Rudolf Nureyev; he devoted his dissertation to the work of the former.

Already in college, Freddie secured his fame as an extremely shocking young man. For example, one day he cut up a tablecloth, put it on himself, and came to class in this form.

Many people think that I have a nasty character. But I like to be controversial and surround myself with complicated, conflicted sons of bitches. I would be bored in the company of perfect people.

First steps to glory

Having moved to London, the ambitious boy rented a room that looked more like a closet. His roommate was Tim Staffel, a student at Imperial College and guitarist for the band 1984, later renamed The Smile. Later, drummer Roger Taylor joined him and Brian May, and Staffel himself left the group due to problems with his studies.

However, Taylor and May quickly found someone to replace Tim. They knew his roommate well, and when it turned out that, in addition to his charm and musicality, he sang excellently, without a moment’s hesitation, they invited him to join the group, the name of which, according to Freddie’s suggestion, was changed to Queen. In 1971, bass guitarist John Deacon joined them, and with this lineup the 20-year stellar history of the legendary group began.

Queen

Mercury played a leading role in the formation of the entire concept of the group, including the musical one: he authored the vast majority of compositions, for example, the lyrical ballad “Love Of My Life” (1975), the unique “Bohemian Rhapsody”, as well as the song “We Are The Champions” "(1977), which became the anthem of sports fans.

Queen - "We Are The Champions"

In 1972, Freddie added the pseudonym Mercury to his fictitious name, which means “mercury” or “mercury”, because this metal is known to be very fluid - Freddie was just as flexible and fast. In 1973 he officially changed his name.

In the same year, the group released their first album, “Trident,” which became popular overnight. The high-quality stadium rock and variety of genres in which the musicians worked delighted listeners, with many comparing them to The Beatles.

In 1975, Queen released the famous "Bohemian Rhapsody", a six-minute experimental single that brought the band long-awaited worldwide fame and money.

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody

Mercury was not only an outstanding musician, but also an outstanding actor. Thanks to this, every concert of the group turned into a real show: his unique, so easily recognizable voice was complemented by a bright temperament, emotionality, and plasticity. The group's video clips were the result of Mercury's desire to combine theater and music, sound and lighting effects - he was the author of most of the clip scripts.

Queen – Live Aid

Personal life of Freddie Mercury

In the early 70s, Freddie had a long-term relationship with Mary Austin, whom he was introduced to by bandmate Brian May. Mary worked as a manager in a cosmetics store, and Freddie, along with Taylor, sold clothes at the market from a stall.

At first, his extravagance alienated Mary, who was wary of bohemian eccentrics. But getting to know him better, she felt interested. Freddie was unlike anyone she knew. Imbued with his ambition and aplomb, she moved into his little room, where they lived together until Queen began generating enough income to rent an apartment on Holland Road.

Freddie and Mary Austin were together for six years and called themselves husband and wife. However, Mary felt that their marriage was missing something. At the beginning of the relationship, Freddie gave her a ring, hinting at a wedding, but later he did not talk about it again. One day, when they were walking around the shops, Mary saw a white dress in the window and asked point blank: isn’t it time for her to get ready for the wedding? The answer “no” was a punch in the gut. She turned over in her head the possible reasons for the refusal, but did not understand what was wrong with their relationship.

Interview with Freddie Mercury (1977)

Only in 1977 did Mercury admit to her that he was gay. He wanted to propose to her and enter into a fictitious marriage “as a distraction,” but he felt that this would be unfair to Mary, who remains the closest person to him, despite her orientation. The musician expected that Mary would cause a scandal and would not want to see him again, but she took this news with relief, the doubts that tormented her disappeared.

They remained close friends until the end of their lives. He bought her an apartment, but the woman spent almost all her time in his mansion at Garden Lodge. Mary was part of Freddie's family. It was she who told his parents the mourning news when Freddie died.

Freddie himself often said that he always loved Mary and under other circumstances she would have become his wife. He bequeathed most of his 28 million fortune to her.

Mercury had an overbite caused by having 4 extra teeth. When his career was just beginning, he wanted to correct his bite, but was afraid that this might worsen his vocal abilities.

last years of life

Freddie Mercury's last concert with Queen took place on August 9, 1986. The event, according to various estimates, was attended by 120 to 220 thousand people. The stage was located in the center of Knebworth House Park, with fans setting up tents at the entrance days in advance. "Queen" was delivered by a helicopter with the emblem of the album "Kind Of Magic".

Mercury jumped around the stage, excited the crowd, in a word, did everything as usual. Having performed all his hits, Freddie, as usual, came out to the public in a robe, holding a crown in his hands. There was no sign that this concert would be the last. His group comrades had no idea about his decision either. Yes, at the end of the performance he complained that he could no longer endure it because pain was piercing his whole body, but the musicians did not attach any importance to this.

After leaving Queen, Freddie Mercury began his solo career. In the five years that his illness allowed him, he managed to record two solo albums: “Mr. Bad Guy" in 1985 and "Barcelona" in 1988. The title song of the second album was written in honor of Montserrat Caballe. He performed with the opera diva in October 1988, rejoicing at this opportunity like a child.

Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe – Barcelona

In May 1989, Queen released a new album, The Miracle. Freddie formally remained an important part of the group, but at the time of working on new material, HIV had already turned into AIDS, he was getting worse, which was noticeable by his emaciated figure and pale complexion. The rest of Queen, although they did not openly admit it, did not hope that they would have time to finish the album before the death of the lead singer. However, Freddie continued to live; Perhaps because of this, the original title of the album, “The Invisible Man,” was changed to the symbolic “Miracle.”

Death

On November 23, 1991, Mercury spoke about his illness to the press, and on November 24, he died. The official cause of death is considered to be bronchopneumonia, which became fatal due to AIDS.

The singer's body was cremated, and only Mary Austin and his family knew about the location of the ashes - this was Mercury's wish. Fans later found this place - London's Kensal Green Cemetery

In the fall of 2018, Bryan Singer’s film “Bohemian Rhapsody” was released, telling about the success story of the musical group. Sacha Baron Cohen was cast in the role of Freddie Mercury himself, but he had to leave the project due to disagreements with Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor; the main role was brilliantly played by Rami Malek.

Freddie's mother was present at the premiere. When she saw Rami Malek in makeup, she could not contain her feelings and burst into tears: “This is my Farrukh!”