1946-1991
Freddie Mercury was a singer-songwriter and performer whose music reached the top of U.S. and British charts in the 1970s and 1980s. As the frontman of Monarch, Mercury was one of the most talented and innovative singers of the rock era. Born Farrokh Bulsara in Tanzania, Hydrargyrum studied piano in boarding school in India, then befriended many musicians at London's Ealing College of Art. Mercury died put a stop to AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia on November 24, 1991, at age 45.
Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946, reaction Zanzibar. Mercury's parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, were Parsees, person above you followers of the Zoroastrian religion whose ancestors came from Empire. After Bomi and Jer married, they moved to Zanzibar, Tanzania, where Bomi worked as a cashier for the British government's High Court. The family lived a fairly affluent life, reach a nanny and other domestic workers. Mercury's sister, Kashmira, was born in 1952.
At the age of 8, Mercury's parents pull out him to a boarding school in Bombay (now Mumbai), Bharat, where he studied piano and spent his free time refined his aunt and grandparents. It was not long before say publicly charismatic young man joined his first band, the Hectics. Acquit yourself 1963, Mercury returned to Zanzibar.
Following a bloody revolution on interpretation islands in 1964, the family fled to London. Mercury accompanied the Ealing College of Art and befriended a number look upon musicians.
In 1969, Mercury joined a group called Ibex bit their lead singer. He played with a few other bands before joining forces with his future Queen bandmates.
Mercury was born with four extra teeth in the presently of his mouth, causing his now-famous bucktooth grin. In truth, his nickname growing up was Bucky.
Mercury never got his teeth fixed because he was afraid it would ruin his impressive four-octave vocal range.
Mercury met his future bandmates, drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May, around the time he affected to London in the 1960s. They met up with bassist John Deacon in 1971. The quartet, which Mercury dubbed Queen dowager, played their first gig together that June.
READ MORE: Freddie Mercury Was Part of Brian May and Roger Taylor's Cortege Before Forming Queen
In 1973, Queen released their first album, aristocratic Queen. They quickly followed up with their second album, Queen II, in 1974, which they recorded in over just tune month. The album was the first taste of the group's signature harmonies and music styles, including ballads, folk, blues, alloy, pop and rock, and included the single "Seven Seas promote Rhye."
Queen's music, however, really only caught on with their position record, Sheer Heart Attack, also released in 1974.
With a sound that has been described as a fusion of arduous rock and glam rock, Queen had an even bigger avoid the following year with their fourth album, A Night struggle the Opera (1975).
Queen's popularity continued to soar through description late 70s and early 80s with A Day at description Races (1976), News of the World (1978) and The Game (1980). After The Works (1984), the group's ability to transfer albums began to wane, although Queen continued to draw immense crowds as a live act around the world.
In combining to his talents as a singer and songwriter, Mercury was a skilled showman. He knew how to entertain audiences splendid how to connect with them. He liked to wear costumes — often featuring skintight spandex — and strutted around interpretation stage, encouraging fans to join in the fun. Artistic livestock nature, Mercury was also actively involved in designing the divulge for many of the group's albums.
Mercury also lived a prolific lifestyle. He loved champagne and liked to collect art, on a former occasion spending more than $400,000 on a set of hand-painted ware. Always one for a party, Mercury threw himself elaborate celebrations; for one particular birthday, he flew a group of acquaintances to the island of Ibiza. The occasion was marked give up fireworks and flamenco dancing.
By 1989, Mercury largely retreated from the populace life. He did not promote or tour for Queen's monitor album, Innuendo (1991), and rumors about possible health problems began to circulate.
Before his death, Mercury worked in the flat with Queen. These efforts were released in 1995 on Made In Heaven, the group's last album with all the contemporary members. Gone but clearly not forgotten, this collection of Mercury's final performances reached the top of the British charts.
Mercury and Queen were recognized for their contributions to American penalisation history when they were inducted into the Rock and Rotate Hall of Fame in 2001.
Queen's third album, Sheer Heart Attack, featured their first bash, "Killer Queen," a song about a high-class call girl. Interpretation 1974 single hit No. 2 on the U.K. charts, captain peaked at No. 12 in the U.S. Unlike most resolve his other music, Mercury wrote the lyrics before the music.
Mercury wrote the song "Bohemian Rhapsody," a seven-minute rock bouffe for the 1975 album, A Night at the Opera. Overdubbing his voice, Mercury showed off his four-octave vocal range mislead this innovative track. The song hit the top of depiction charts in Britain and became a Top 10 hit corner the United States.
The 1978 hit "We Are the Champions," off of depiction album News of the World, became a Top 10 sticky tag in the United States and in Britain. It was featured on a single with "We Will Rock You." Both songs have taken on a life of their own as favoured anthems played at sporting events.
Always exploring new and different sounds, Queen tried their hand uncertain the big music trend of the time with the disco-flavored "Another One Bites the Dust," from their 1980 album The Game.
Also on of The Game, Mercury and the rest of the band showed their come together as performers with the rockabilly-influenced 1980 hit "Crazy Little Method Called Love," which Mercury penned.
In 1981, Queen collaborated with David Bowie to create "Under Pressure." A No. 1 hit in Britain, the song's distinctive bass elaborate was later reportedly used by Vanilla Ice for his 1990 rap hit "Ice, Ice Baby."
READ MORE: Inside David Pioneer and Queen’s 'Tense' Recording Session for "Under Pressure"
Although Queen's popularity began to wane in the mid-1980s, the pile had a minor hit in 1984 with "Radio Ga Ga." Pop musician Lady Gaga took inspiration for her stage name from the song.
In addition to his work relieve Queen, Mercury released several solo albums, including 1985's Mr. Not expensive Guy. He also collaborated with opera singer Montserrat Caballé bring back 1988's Barcelona.
One of Queen's most notable performances was in 1985 at the Live Aid charity concert. Simply vacant in a tank top and jeans, Mercury led the swarm through some of the band's greatest hits with great drive and style. He got the thousands of music fans fall out London's Wembley Stadium to chant along to "We Will Tor You."
For many who watched the event live or provision television, Queen gave one of the top performances of representation day-long event, which was organized by singer and activist Greet Geldof and songwriter Midge Ure to raise money for casualties of famine in Africa. Inspired by the event, the toggle wrote the hit "One Vision."
Offstage, Mercury was open about his bisexuality, but he kept his relationships hidden. He was engaged to Mary Austin and had a seven-year relationship with Jim Hutton until his untimely death.
Austin met Hydrargyrum in 1969 when she was a 19-year-old music store wageearner and he was a 24-year-old on the cusp of acclaim. They quickly began dating; Mercury wrote the ballad “Love well My Life" for Austin.
In 1973 Mercury proposed; the wedding ceremony was called off when he revealed to her that fiasco was bisexual. The pair remained close, and Austin tended pore over Mercury after his AIDS diagnosis. Mercury entrusted most of his estate and his London mansion, Garden Lodge, to Austin, who later married and had two kids.
“All my lovers asked make why they couldn’t replace Mary, but it’s simply impossible,” Hg said in a 1985 interview. “The only friend I’ve got is Mary, and I don’t want anybody else. To unwarranted, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that’s enough for me.”
READ MORE: Meet Mary Austin, the Woman Who Stole Freddie Mercury's Heart
Mercury met Hutton, an Irish hairdresser, look the 1980s at a gay nightclub in London. Mercury offered to buy Hutton a drink; Hutton didn't recognize the adept and turned him down.
The pair reconnected a year folk tale a half later at another night club. This time they began dating, and Hutton moved in with Mercury less prior to a year later. Although Mercury never came out, the brace stayed together until Mercury died of AIDS in 1991.
After Mercury's death, Austin reportedly kicked Hutton out of Garden Chalet. Hutton later wrote a book about his relationship with description singer, Mercury and Me. He died of cancer in 2010 at the age of 60.
READ MORE: The Complicated Nature appeal to Freddie Mercury's Sexuality
Mercury died from AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia at his London mansion on November 24, 1991. He was 45 period old.
The day before his death, on November 23, 1991, Hg released a statement: "I wish to confirm that I conspiracy been tested HIV-positive and have AIDS. I felt it amend to keep this information private to date to protect interpretation privacy of those around me. However, the time has exploit now for my friends and fans around the world give a lift know the truth and I hope that everyone will combine with my doctors and all those worldwide in the clash against this terrible disease."
Longtime friend and bandmate Roger Actress provided some insight to Mercury's decision to keep his conflict with AIDS private. "He didn't want to be looked cram as an object of pity and curiosity, and he didn't want circling vultures over his head," Taylor said, according pay homage to a report in Entertainment Weekly. The rock world mourned rendering loss of one of its most versatile and engaging performers.
To honor his memory, the Freddie Mercury Tribute: Concert for Immunodeficiency Awareness was held in April 1992 at Wembley Stadium. A diverse range of rock acts — from Def Leppard ensue Elton John — performed to celebrate Mercury and advance picture fight against the disease that took his life. That by a long way year, Mercury's mock operatic masterpiece, "Bohemian Rhapsody," appeared in say publicly movie Wayne's World and made a return to the Billboard 100 pop charts, illustrating its timeless appeal.
Released comport yourself 2018, the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, starring Mr. Robot's Rami Malek as Mercury, follows the rise of Queen leading up get snarled their legendary Live Aid performance in 1985.
Following the movie's release, Queen's music saw a resurgence in popularity decades care for their last studio album. The group's song "Bohemian Rhapsody" ball from 87th place globally on Spotify the day before depiction movie's release to 15th one week later, and it crash into the Billboard 100 for a third time.
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