The Life and Tragic Demise of Rock n Roll Legend Freddie Mercury

Source: MSN

Taking the center stage

In his initial days, Freddie followed a band called “Smile”. “Smile” had a unique sound and Freddie had made it his goal to be a part of the band’s legacy. An opportunity came knocking in 1970 when Smile’s lead singer left the band which left a door open for a new lead singer to take the spot. Freddie Mercury took the center stage and grabbed the mic. After Freddie became the lead singer, he renamed the band Queen. But controversy followed them after renaming because the band had an association with the LGBTQ community.

Failure was just a stepping stone!

Queen dropped their first album in 1973 and for the first time, they were in record stores. The band felt like they were on the moon, but it was not long before they were grounded. Their first record did not sell very well. Low sales might be because many had not heard the band before. But they started work on their second album “Queen II” and when it dropped things took a turn for the best. “Queen” with Freddie Mercury in the lead finally found its groove. In February 1974, a TV show named “Lost Top of the Pops” allowed them to broadcast their music. And Freddie started getting the publicity they needed to be commercially successful. 

Coming out

Mary Austin was there with Freddie before and after he was in Queen. Although Freddie proposed to Mary and they did get engaged but they never tied the knot. After 6 years of being engaged, they started to drift apart. Freddie Mercury kept his sexuality hidden from everyone. After his breakup with Mary Austin, he decided to confide his sexuality to her. Freddie came out to Mary as bisexual, but Mary was convinced that in fact, Freddie was gay. But regardless if he was gay or bisexual Mary stayed in Freddie’s life as a close friend. 

After coming out to Austin, Freddie dated both men and women openly. Apart from Mary Austin, Freddie’s other notable relationship was with Jim Hutton. Jim Hutton was by Freddie’s side till his untimely death. Freddie and Jim enjoyed their private lives, very less was known about their private lives until Jim Hutton released his book, Mercury and Me. The Hutton biography had personal stories and anecdotes about the rock n roll legend. Whenever in public the couple wore wedding rings coz Freddie saw Jim as his husband. Hutton stood by the rock legend through sickness and in health.

Tragic demise

Sadly this rock-n-roll legend had a tragic ending. In April of 1987, Freddie was diagnosed with AIDS. Although he and people close to the rock n roll star knew, his fans would not know about his condition until his last days. After the diagnosis, Freddie decided he is not going to just lay in bed waiting for his end but he decided to write and sing for as long as he can. But he got weaker with each passing day. His condition got worse and on November 23, 1991, he released a statement saying “ I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV-Positive and have AIDS”. He passed away the very next day on November 24, 1991. He left everything he had to Mary Austin and to his fans he left behind a lasting legacy. The king of “Queen” gave us music that touched lives generation after generation. Even after many decades, the rock n roll legend keeps touching many hearts.

Let us know in the comment which is your favourite Freddie Mercury song.