Now regarded as a gay icon, Farrokh Bulsara, more widely known as Freddie Mercury mostly kept his sexuality and relationships secret. Maybe that's why when you look at these candid photos of the famous singer and his last boyfriend Jim Hutton, you can't help but feel a sense of intimacy that reveals the real beauty of the gay couple's love.

The Queen vocalist began seeing hairdresser Jim Hutton in the mid-1980s, but the start of their relationship was rocky. Freddie approached Jim on two different occasions at a club, and both could be considered unsuccessful. It wasn't until the two met a third time at the same club (about two years after the initial chat) that Mercury's persistence won Hutton over and the two got together.

im moved into Garden Lodge with Freddie about two years later and stayed together until the artist's death in 1991. Once diagnosed with AIDS, Mercury even offered his partner an exit on their relationship, but he declined. "I love you, Freddie," Jim recalled his own words in a documentary. "I'm not going anywhere." And he didn't - Hutton nursed the love of his life and was there when Freddie released his last breath.

Scroll down for the heartwarming photos of a genuine relationship between the famous musician and the love of his life below.

(h/t: vintageeveryday)