Freddie Mercury
1946-1991
Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara, was a British singer, songwriter, record producer, and lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest lead singers in the history of rock music, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range.
Born in Zanzibar to Parsi parents from India, he attended English-style boarding schools in India from the age of eight and returned to Zanzibar after secondary school. In 1964, his family fled the Zanzibar Revolution, moving to Middlesex, England. Having studied and written music for years, he formed Queen in 1970 with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Mercury wrote numerous hits for Queen, including “Killer Queen,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Somebody to Love,” “We Are the Champions,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” He also led a solo career and served as a producer and guest musician for other artists.
While some commentators claimed Mercury hid his sexual orientation from the public, others claimed he was “openly gay”. In December 1974, when asked directly, “So how about being bent?” by the New Musical Express, Mercury replied, “You’re a crafty cow. Let’s put it this way: there were times when I was young and green. It’s a thing schoolboys go through. I’ve had my share of schoolboy pranks. I’m not going to elaborate further.” Homosexual acts between adult males over the age of 21 had not been decriminalized in the United Kingdom until 1967, seven years earlier. The tabloid newspaper The Sun referred to Mercury as a “bisexual rock star” in 1986, who had “confessed to a string of one-night gay sex affairs.”
In the early 1970s, Mercury had a long-term relationship with Mary Austin, whom he met through guitarist Brian May. He lived with Austin for several years in West Kensington, London. In December 1976, Mercury told Austin of his sexuality, which ended their romantic relationship. By the mid-1970s, he had begun an affair with a male American record executive at Elektra Records. During the early- to mid-1980s, he was reportedly involved with Barbara Valentin, an Austrian actress. By 1985, he began another long-term relationship with Irish-born hairdresser Jim Hutton. Hutton lived with Mercury for the last six years of his life, nursed him during his illness, and was present at his bedside when he died in 1991 due to complications from AIDS. In 1992, a tribute concert was held at Wembley Stadium.
As a member of Queen, Mercury was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received numerous awards. In 2002, Mercury ranked number 58 in the BBC’s poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.