Freddie Mercury
- FaceOff - עימות חזיתי
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
He is one of the greatest singers in the history of music, but he passed away too early and he is only 45 years old.
(Photo: Popperfoto)
Here are some facts about the legendary singer Freddie Mercury:
1. He was born on September 5, 1946, as Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town, Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania.
2. His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, were Parsis, members of India's Zoroastrian community whose roots trace back to Persia. Mercury was raised in the Zoroastrian faith, one of the world's oldest religions.
3. He spent much of his childhood in Zanzibar and India. In 1964, at the age of 17, the Bulsara family fled to England following the violent Zanzibar Revolution, during which thousands were killed and many members of the island's Asian minority were forced to leave.
4. Mercury was born with four extra teeth, which contributed to his distinctive smile. For years it was claimed that the unusual structure of his mouth contributed to his resonance and vocal range, but there is no scientific proof of that. An acoustic study published in 2016 identified a recorded singing range of 37 semitones, from F#2 to G5, a little over three octaves.
5. At the age of 7, he began learning piano, an instrument that would later become a central part of his songwriting and sound with "Queen".
6. In 1969, he graduated from Ealing College of Art with a diploma in Graphic Art and Design. His visual talent followed him throughout his career and also influenced the way he shaped the image of "Queen".
7. After graduating, he ran a clothing stall at Kensington Market with Roger Taylor and also worked at Heathrow Airport. Heathrow records him as a baggage handler, while English Heritage also notes that he worked washing dishes in the airport kitchens.
8. At the same time, he began building a music career. In August 1969, he joined "Ibex" as lead singer; the band changed its name to "Wreckage" in October. After it broke up, he joined "Sour Milk Sea" in February 1970, but that band also dissolved in April of the same year.
9. One of his greatest heroes and influences was Jimi Hendrix. The singer he admired above all was Aretha Franklin, whom he especially praised for the power, emotion and natural quality of her voice.
10. After Tim Staffell left "Smile" in March 1970, Mercury joined Brian May and Roger Taylor, and from that lineup "Queen" was born. After several bassists passed through the band, John Deacon joined in February 1971 and completed the classic lineup.
11. Freddie was the one who chose the name "Queen". He said he liked it because it sounded regal, strong, universal and immediate, and he was also well aware of the word’s gay connotations.
12. Freddie also designed the famous "Queen Crest". Created around 1972, it incorporates the zodiac signs of all four band members: two lions for Roger Taylor and John Deacon, both Leos; a crab for Brian May, a Cancer; and two fairies for Mercury, a Virgo. At the center is a crowned Q, topped by a phoenix.
13. In 1970, around the time "Queen" was formed, Fred Bulsara began using the name Freddie Mercury, which became his permanent stage name.
14. On November 23, 1991, Mercury issued a public statement confirming that he had AIDS. The following day, November 24, he died at his home, Garden Lodge, at the age of 45.
15. His funeral was held on November 27, 1991, in a private ceremony conducted by two Zoroastrian priests. His coffin entered the chapel to Aretha Franklin's performances of "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and "You've Got a Friend", and the service ended with a Verdi aria performed by Montserrat Caballé.
16. Mercury recorded "The Show Must Go On" when his health had already deteriorated severely and he was struggling even to stand. Brian May worried that the high notes might be too difficult for him, but Mercury drank a few shots of vodka, declared that he would do it and stepped up to the microphone. According to May, he recorded three or four takes and delivered one of the most powerful vocal performances of his career.
17. Mercury's final video appearance was filmed on May 30, 1991, for "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" from the album "Innuendo". His condition was already very serious and he had difficulty walking, so the video was shot in black and white. At the end, he looks directly into the camera and says, "I still love you", his final words captured on film.
18. Mercury left Mary Austin his Garden Lodge home and its contents, 50% of his estate and 50% of his future royalties. For years, "Love of My Life" was widely regarded as a song inspired by their relationship, and even the official "Queen" website described it that way. However, in a 2026 interview Austin herself said she was not certain that the song had actually been written about her.
19. The final vocal Mercury recorded in the studio was for "Mother Love", co-written with Brian May and recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux between May 13 and 16, 1991. Mercury recorded most of the song, but when he reached the final verse he said he was not feeling well and would finish it next time. He never returned to the studio, and May later recorded the missing verse. The song was included on the 1995 album "Made in Heaven".
20. "A Winter's Tale" is regarded as the final song Mercury wrote and composed entirely by himself. He wrote it in Montreux while looking out over Lake Geneva and the surrounding mountains, and also played keyboards on it. His vocal was recorded in May 1991, months before his death, not two weeks before it as was often repeated. After his death, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon completed the arrangement, and the song appeared on "Made in Heaven".
21. As a child, Mercury was an avid stamp collector. He built most of the collection between the ages of 9 and 12, and the 54-page album already reveals his artistic eye, with stamps arranged by color, symmetry and shape. In 1993, the album was purchased at auction for the National Postal Museum, now The Postal Museum, with proceeds going to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. It has since been displayed in exhibitions in Britain and abroad.
22. Mercury wrote "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" in 1979 while taking a bath at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich. According to Roger Taylor, he wrote it in around ten minutes and even asked for a guitar to be brought in so he could finish the idea. Brian May described it as Mercury’s tribute to Elvis Presley. It became "Queen"'s first single to reach No. 1 in the United States.
23. In 2008, "Rolling Stone" ranked Mercury No. 18 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". A year later, in 2009, he was ranked No. 1 in the British magazine "Classic Rock" poll of the "50 Greatest Singers in Rock".
24. Mercury was a devoted cat lover and treated his cats almost like children. While touring, he would call home and ask for the phone to be held up to them so he could "talk" to them. He dedicated his 1985 debut solo album "Mr. Bad Guy" in part to his cats Jerry, Tom, Oscar and Tiffany, and to cat lovers everywhere. Delilah was considered his favorite, and he wrote "Delilah" about her for the album "Innuendo".
25. According to actress Cleo Rocos, one evening in the late 1980s she, Mercury, comedian Kenny Everett and Princess Diana spent time together. When Diana wanted to join them at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, a famous gay pub in London, they dressed her in an army jacket, leather cap and sunglasses so she would not be recognized. The story is based primarily on Rocos's account and has become one of the best-known anecdotes linking Mercury and Diana.
26. Mercury repeatedly refused to give a definitive explanation of "Bohemian Rhapsody" from the album "A Night At The Opera", preferring listeners to interpret it for themselves. His friend, broadcaster Kenny Everett, said Mercury privately described the lyrics to him as rhyming nonsense, but Brian May and Roger Taylor have said Mercury kept the real meaning to himself and never explained it to them.
27. Roger Daltrey, lead singer of "The Who", described Mercury as the greatest virtuoso rock 'n' roll singer of all time, saying he could sing almost anything in any style and even change the character of his voice from line to line.
28. In 1983, Mercury and Michael Jackson recorded three songs together: "There Must Be More to Life Than This", "State of Shock" and "Victory". The collaboration was never completed. According to "Queen" manager Jim Beach, at one point Mercury asked to be taken out of the studio because Jackson had brought his llama inside. "State of Shock" was later recorded by Jackson with Mick Jagger, while Mercury and Jackson's duet version of "There Must Be More to Life Than This" was officially released only in 2014 on "Queen Forever". "Victory" remains officially unreleased.
29. Kurt Cobain mentioned Freddie Mercury in the note he left before his death. Cobain wrote about his own difficulty enjoying the adoration of an audience, contrasting himself with Mercury, whom he saw as someone who genuinely seemed to enjoy the love and worship of the crowd, a quality Cobain said he admired and envied.
30. On September 1, 2016, English Heritage unveiled a blue plaque honoring Mercury at 22 Gladstone Avenue in Feltham, the first home the Bulsara family lived in after arriving in England. The plaque was unveiled by his sister Kashmira Cooke and Brian May, just days before what would have been Mercury's 70th birthday.
31. Mercury died on November 24, 1991, at the age of 45. On the very same day, Eric Carr, drummer of "KISS", also died at the age of 41. Carr had been battling a rare form of heart cancer and died from complications related to the disease.
32. On April 20, 1992, "The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness" was held at Wembley Stadium. All 72,000 tickets sold out within six hours, before the full lineup had even been announced. Joining Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon on stage were artists including David Bowie, George Michael, Elton John, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard and Annie Lennox. According to the official "Queen" archive, the concert was broadcast to 76 countries and watched by more than one billion people. Proceeds went to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, created to fight HIV/AIDS.
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