Farrokh Bulsara was born on September 5 in Zanzibar, which was then a British colony. As a child, he also lived in India with his parents. At the age of 7, he started learning to play the piano.
In 1964, the future star's family moved to Great Britain. In the late 1960s, after graduating from Ealing College of Art, Freddie Mercury was a salesman in a boutique in Kensington Market. There he met the future drummer of The Queen - Roger Taylor. The future star also worked as a baggage handler at London Heathrow Airport.
In 1970, Mercury became the vocalist of the band Smile, created by Bryan May and Roger Taylor, which soon changed its name to Queen. This was the beginning of a history of spectacular musical successes and iconic songs that remain popular to this day.
Queen's first concert took place in June 1971. For the next two decades, the group's line-up did not change.
Queen's big hit was originally supposed to have a different title
One of the greatest hits associated with Queen and Freddie Mercury's vocal mastery is undoubtedly "Bohemian Rhapsody". Interestingly, a few years ago it came to light that the original title of this song was different.
An early draft of the album's lead single titled "A Night at the Opera" reveals that Freddie Mercury titled the song "Mongolian Rhapsody". He wrote these words on pieces of stationery from the now defunct British airline British Midland. The title "Mongolian Rhapsody" appeared above the lyrics of the hit song. The first part of the title was crossed out and only above it Mercury wrote the word "Bohemian".
In 2023, the manuscript was sold at auction for over $1.7 million.
Crowds in stadiums and historic performances
Queen's music quickly began to gather real crowds. On the band's official website we can read, among others: that in 1981 he performed in Sao Paulo for 231,000 people, which was a world record at that time.
Music lovers also remember Queen's participation in the Live Aid charity show in 1985. To this day, the sound of the 72,000-strong audience gathered at Wembley, which Freddie Mercury persuaded to clap to the rhythm of the song "Radio Ga Ga", sends shivers down the spines of some people. Interestingly, Queen's musicians had doubts whether they should take part in this event. In an interview with Radio Times magazine, Brian May and Roger Taylor recalled that they were surprised by the invitation.
We weren't touring or playing, and the idea of having 50 bands at one show seemed crazy, May said.
We thought it would be a disaster. Freddie in particular. He said: I don't have the right feeling about this. He wasn't the leader of the team, but when he set his mind to something, there was no way to talk him out of it. So we put the topic aside, he added.
The premature death of a beloved singer
Freddie Mercury died in 1991 from complications related to AIDS. He was 45 years old. He went down in history as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists of all time. His characteristic sound, impressive vocal range and unique stage charisma have earned him a huge group of loyal fans.
Queen founders Roger Taylor and Brian May still perform under this name - with vocalist Adam Lambert, winner of an award on "American Idol". He has to face criticism from some of the band's fans who believe that no one is worthy of replacing Freddie Mercury.
Although more than 30 years have passed since Mercury's death, Queen's music has not lost its popularity and many artists are inspired by it in various ways. Some artists also reach for Queen songs and play them as covers at their concerts.
Billions of views of hit songs
Thanks to the song "Don't Stop Me Now", Queen recently entered the Billion Views Club on YouTube for the second time. In 2019, Queen introduced the hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" to this club.
"Don't Stop Me Now" is one of Queen's most energetic and recognizable songs. The song was written entirely by Freddie Mercury. The song was included on the album "Jazz" released in 1978. Although initially it achieved moderate success, over time it confirmed its status as one of the band's biggest hits.
In a vote in the BBC program "Top Gear" in 2005, the song was chosen as the best song for the road. In 2014, Rolling Stone readers voted it their third favorite Queen song. The song is a common musical motif used in advertisements, and users of social media platforms also like to use it.
Mysterious diaries and reports about the daughter
In 2025, thanks to the book "I love you, Freddie. The secret life and love of Freddie Mercury" by British journalist Lesley-Ann Jones, questions arose about the private life of the legendary singer.
"After his death in 1991, he left seventeen handwritten notebooks, which he began writing in 1976, when Queen was at the peak of his global fame. He made the last entry just a few weeks before the end of his life. Only four of his closest people knew about the existence of these diaries. Freddie entrusted them to one of them before his death. To his beloved daughter," the Polish publisher of the book - SQN - informed in a promotional note.
The woman who claims to be Mercury's daughter was born in 1976. It was supposed to be the result of the singer's affair with the wife of a close friend. According to the author of the book, a DNA test was carried out, which confirmed the credibility of the story of the woman who goes by the initial B. Another factor in her favor is the fact that the musician's relatives are unable to decisively dispute this story.
Freddie Mercury was and is my father. We had a very close and loving relationship from the moment I was born and for the last 15 years of his life. He adored me and was devoted to me, said B, whose only known information is that she is a doctor living in Europe, in a handwritten letter.
