21 facts you might not know about Freddie Mercury

The icon, the legend, the rock god

Author: Anna Sky Hulton Published 2nd Sep 2020

Last updated 2nd Sep 2020

Singer Freddie Mercury would have celebrated his birthday on 5th September. The lead singer of Queen is best known for being vivacious, flamboyant and supremely talented.

A founding member of the band from its inception in 1970, Freddie wowed audiences around the world with his awe-inspiring vocal acrobatics until his tragic death in 1991 at the age of 45-years-old.

To celebrate an incredible life, career and legacy, we've uncovered 21 facts you might not have known about Freddie Mercury... Enjoy!

Freddie Mercury

What was Freddie Mercury's real name?

Freddie Mercury's real name is Farrokh Bulsara. Despite some people spelling his name 'Freddy Mercury', the icon chose to spell his stage name as Freddie Mercury. He legally changed his name to Freddie Mercury around 1970, when Queen was formed.

Freddie Mercury's life in Bohemian Rhapsody

The creation of the Bohemian Rhapsody the movie was an extremely bumpy one. Way back in September 2010, Sacha Baron Cohen was originally alleged to play Freddie Mercury in the movie, but he supposedly dropped out in July 2013 citing 'creative differences' between himself and the band.

Dominic Cooper was then rumoured to play Freddie, however this never materialised and Rami Malek was cast.

Bohemian Rhapsody was released in October 2018, and in January 2019 the movie and its leading actor Rami Malek both won Golden Globes - Bohemian Rhapsody took home Best Motion Picture - Drama, with Rami winning the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama. The movie's success continued during the awards season as it also picked up gongs at the BAFTAs and Oscars.

Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody

The first trailer from the Queen biopic movie, Bohemian Rhapsody featured the band's iconic performance at Live Aid in 1985, showing the 'We Will Rock You' hand claps and Freddie’s iconic vocal improvisation.

A sequel to Queen’s blockbuster biopic is being seriously discussed, according to Austrian movie producer and director, Rudi Dolezal. Rudi has worked on several Queen music videos, and told PageSix he believes the band and their management are lining up a follow-up to the movie.

Freddie's sister Kashmira has also now spoken about the possibility of a sequel saying, "I haven’t heard from the management about a sequel. Only time will tell."

WATCH: The official trailer for Bohemian Rhapsody

Where was Freddie Mercury born?

Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania) on 5th September 1946. Although Freddie was born in Zanzibar he was voted number 59 in the BBC's poll of the 100 greatest Britons, it was a British protectorate until 1963, thus making him a Brit!

He spent most of his childhood in India, where he began taking piano lessons when he was aged seven.

What was Freddie Mercury's first band?

When Freddie Mercury was just 13-years-old he founded The Hectics, which used to cover well-known rock and roll songs at school events. To celebrate 61 years since the band started some photos of The Hectics were shared on Instagram.

Did Freddie Mercury write Queen songs?

He was a prolific songwriter, penning 10 of the 17 songs on Queen's Greatest Hits album, which was released in 1981.

What was Freddie Mercury's last song?

Freddie Mercury's last song was 'Mother Love'. The song, which was written by the singer and Brian May, was recorded in May 1991. 'Mother Love' was later included on the Queen album 'Made in Heaven', which was released in 1995.

A sample from the live sing-along session recorded at Queen's famous 1986 concert at Wembley Stadium, is included at the beginning of the last song Freddie Mercury recorded.

WATCH: Queen - A Kind Of Magic (Live At Wembley Stadium, Friday 11 July 1986)

What year did Freddie Mercury die?

Freddie Mercury sadly died at the age of 45, on 24th November 1991. He would be 73-years-old today if he had lived.

When did Freddie Mercury die?

Freddie Mercury died on 24th November 1991 at his home in Kensington, London. He passed away just 24 hours after a statement was issued, publicly announcing he was HIV positive.

The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness

After his passing, his friends and bandmates - Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon - organised a tribute concert to him; The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness, which featured performances from the likes of Elton John, Guns N' Roses, David Bowie and George Michael among many others.

It took place at Wembley Stadium on 20th April 1992, with all 72,000 tickets selling out in just three hours. It was broadcast on TV and radio to 76 countries around the world, with an audience of around 1 billion, and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Freddie Mercury: Never Boring

In 2019, to celebrate his birthday, a brand new box set entitled 'Never Boring' was released collating Freddie Mercury’s music, visuals and written and spoken words.

Now here are 21 other interesting facts about Freddie Mercury...

1) Freddie Mercury designed the famous Queen Crest logo himself, thanks to a degree in art and graphic design from Ealing Art College.

2) He had a long-term relationship with Mary Austin in the early 70s, who became his closest friend. When he died at the age of 45 in 1991, he left her most of his money, his house, and his recording royalties.

3) His trademark 'bottomless mic' happened by accident. Whilst performing a show early in Queen's career, his mic stand snapped mid-performance. Instead of replacing it, he carried on performing and continued to use it, even though it didn't have a bottom! This moment was recreated in the recent movie, Bohemian Rhapsody, which told the story of how Queen got together.

4) Queen won the BRIT Award for Outstanding Contribution in 1990. All four members of the band came to the stage to accept the award. It was Freddie Mercury's last appearance in front of an audience.

Freddie Mercury

5) Freddie was a keen philatelist (stamp collector). His collection has been exhibited at stamp shows worldwide.

6) He and his family were Parsi and practiced the Zoroastrian religion. His funeral service was performed by a Zoroastrian priest.

7) Freddie Mercury wrote 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' in the bath. He was in the bath at a hotel and was inspired - even having the piano brought to his tub to allow him to compose!

Freddie Mercury

8) Along with the other members of Queen, Freddie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2001.

9) Freddie was listed at Number 18 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2009.

10) In 2009, he was voted Best Rock Singer of all time by Classic Rock.

11) A statue of Freddie Mercury was unveiled in Montreux, Switzerland on 25th November 1996. It stands at over three metres high and overlooks Lake Geneva.

12) Freddie’s voice had a recording range of almost four octaves, with a majority of his vocals falling in the tenor range.

13) Although a flamboyant entertainer on stage, Freddie was very shy in real life and hardly ever gave interviews.

Freddie Mercury

14) 'Mr. Bad Guy' was Freddie's first solo album. Released in 1985, it contained 11 songs, all written by him. It was dedicated "to my cat Jerry - also Tom, Oscar and Tiffany, and all the cat lovers across the universe - screw everybody else".

15) 'Mr. Bad Guy' debuted in the Top 10 in the UK album charts and remained in the charts for 23 weeks. Its highest position was Number 6 and it reached Gold status.

16) 'Barcelona' was Freddie’s second and final solo album. A special, newly recorded edition of the album, with live symphonic orchestration and percussion, was released on 3rd September 2012.

17) 'Barcelona' was recorded with operatic soprano Montserrat Caballe.

18) One of Freddie Mercury’s first major collaborations outside of Queen was with Dave Clark, for the recording of the London West End musical Time, in 1986.

19) Freddie Mercury’s favourite artists were Aretha Franklin and Jimi Hendrix.

20) Freddie Mercury received a posthumous BRIT Award for Outstanding Contribution in 1992.

21) Before he became famous, Freddie Mercury worked as a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport. In 2018, baggage handlers at the airport paid tribute to the Queen lead singer by learning a routine to 'I Want To Break Free'.

Scroll through to see Freddie Mercury's life in pictures:

Queen in 1989

Freddie and Monserrat Caballe perform ‘Barcelona’ at Barcelona's Montjuich park, to celebrate the arrival of the Olympic flag from Seoul, October 1988

Freddie with Brian May’s second wife Anita Dobson in 1988

On stage in Sydney in 1985

Queen pose for a portrait in 1985

Performing with Paul McCartney, Bono, David Bowie and more at Live Aid, 1985

Freddie during Queen’s legendary Live Aid performance at Wembley in 1985

Performing live in Oakland, California in 1982

Freddie in his element, live in Paris in 1979

Queen looking cool in 1978

Queen at Earls Court in London, June 1977

Freddie in his imperious live prime at Madison Square Garden

Queen in London, September 1976, to receive a British Phonographic Institute Platinum, Gold and Silver award for record sales

Freddie at Heathrow airport in January 1976 ahead of the band’s USA tour

Queen arrive back from their Australian tour in 1974

Queen are presented with a gold disc for their eponymous debut album in Tokyo, 1974

Freddie in London in August 1973

Queen rehearsals for the band’s first major tour. 9th July 1973

Freddie, Roger Taylor, Brian May and John Deacon photoshoot in London in 1973

Wearing a typically flamboyant outfit on stage in the early 1970s

Freddie on the road in St Helens, Merseyside with the short-lived Liverpool band Ibex. When they failed to take off, he joined another band called Sour Milk Sea but by early 1970 they had split too

Freddie at Ealing Art College in London in 1969. He earned a diploma in Art and Graphic Design

Fans leave flowers outside Freddie’s London home on 24th November 1991 – the day of his untimely death

The iconic Freddie Mercury statue overlooking Lake Geneva in Montreux. Standing three metres high, the Irena Sedlecka sculpture was unveiled five years after Freddie’s death by Montserrat Caballé and Freddie’s mother Jer

Freddie’s younger sister Kashmira Cooke and Brian May unveil an English Heritage Blue Plaque outside the singer’s first UK home on 1st September 2016



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