Freddie Mercury: biography, personal life, cause of death. Freddie Mercury: biography

Many articles, many books and no less biographies have been written about Freddie Mercury and Queen. Yes, take the same Wikipedia, in which you will also find quite a bit of information. Yes, there you will even find an opus about Brian May’s guitar, Red Special, which he made in his youth with his father. And yes, a few words are also said about that very piano.

They say that Sir Paul himself once played it. The same one as McCartney. So this is definitely an instrument with history, a proven one, which Queen carried with them to concerts and tours with all the passion they were capable of.

Well, the Beatles had a lot of things, too much. Take, for example, the Jewish Priest group, Judas Priest. They even settled in the studio of John Lennon of the post-Beatles period. Moreover, for them it was a revelation, since they didn’t care who played there before, they just needed a properly equipped building. But we have deviated from the topic.

We have already talked about the composition itself, carried out some analysis, and even came to the conclusion that its semantic load is unusually high for Western songs. Although "I'm driving on the freeway!" Highway Star and “Mom, I killed a man, but I don’t want to die”... attract, first of all, the musical part, and the meaning, to put it mildly... But let’s leave the semantic analysis of the lyrics of Western songs to Zadornov, and it’s better to talk about the musicians themselves.

After all, they didn't really pretend to be poets, right? And as composers and songwriters they were always at their best!

Farukh Bulsara, now known as Freddie Mercury

So, meet Farukh Bulsara! Persian by origin, born on September 5, 1946 on the island of Zanzibar. As a child, he went to St. Peter's School, where most of the students were English-speaking. As a result, it is inconvenient for in English Farukh's name was quickly changed to Freddie.

The school had a very British accent, so sporting events there, too, they were truly British. But Freddie himself liked hockey, sprinting and boxing more. Already at the age of ten he became the school champion in table tennis, at the age of twelve he won the cup in youth all-around (which is hard to even think about, looking at his fragile body of his early Queen years).

And then, as if in glorious tales Regarding great composers, we can mention that Freddie was interested in painting from an early age, sang in the church choir and acted in school plays. I'll disappoint you: everyone sings and everyone draws. It is quite difficult to imagine a child of such a small age who does not like to draw or sing at all. It would actually be some kind of mutant.

So we all had the necessary inclinations. Another question is, what did we do with them over time? The school principal noticed that the boy was literally obsessed with music and devoted all his time to it. free time, periodically sacrificing activities. And he wrote a letter to his parents.

Well, what would we write? “Keep an eye on your son, he can’t concentrate on his studies!” Instead, the school principal suggested that Freddie take an inexpensive piano course. The parents liked this idea, and so did the child!

When he finished his courses, he organized his first music group, which was called “Fidgets,” and with which he often performed at school parties and dances.

At the age of sixteen he returned home, and two years later Zanzibar was declared an independent state, and the parents of the future rock star urgently moved to the UK. There the story of the rising star Freddie began.

British history and the newborn Queen

In 1964, when the Bulsara family had just arrived in the UK, they settled with their relatives. A little later they bought their own house.

At first, Farukh wanted to take up painting, but his family was quite tight with money, so he got a job as a loader.

His graceful hands were ill suited for the job. Colleagues noticed this, and the guy had to explain that he was a musician and only worked as a loader in his free time. As a result of this, and also due to his personal charm, other movers took over most of his work.

He still continued to paint. He graduated from Aylesworth Polytechnic School and then studied graphic illustration at Ealing College, London.

Most likely, it was for this reason that Farukh left his father’s house. He and his friend rented an apartment in Kensington, which was famous for being the heart of London's bohemia.

It was a special period of time. Freddie drew a lot and enthusiastically listened to contemporary music. He was especially passionate about the work of Jimi Hendrix.

Somewhat later he met Tim Staffel. He played bass and sang in the group Smile (“Smile”, smile) and after some time began to invite Freddie to rehearsals. To the young artist I liked the potential of the group. He especially liked the playing of the local guitarist and bassist. The guitarist's name was Brian May and the bass player's name was Roger Taylor.

His flatmate - by the way, his name was Chris Smith - was also partial to music, and so they often played together, experimenting with mixing styles. At this time they did not play on stage.

Finally, the young artist received the long-awaited diploma of a graphic designer. This happened in the summer of 1969, when he was twenty-three years old. A little later, Freddie moved in with Roger Taylor, and together they opened a store in Kensington Market. Along with other goods, Freddie's paintings were also sold there. Not Mercury yet.

A little later, on August 13, 1969, he met members of the group Ibex and began playing with them. He very quickly mastered their repertoire and also supplemented it with his own compositions. Just ten days after they met, they went to a concert in Bolton, Lancashire.

It was a blues festival, so the events were mentioned in the press. Well, it so happened that along with the main songs of the repertoire, the group also performed cover versions of the groups Cream, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. Apparently it was Freddie's idea.

After a period of months, Freddie came up with the idea to change the name. Moreover, he had to use a trick to convince the participants of the need for this. The name chosen was Wreckage. Soon the band's drummer left the musicians, and former drummer Smile was taken in his place.

But Wreckage's guitarist also left, this time just to study, and the band essentially ceased to exist. Freddie did not want to sit idle, and therefore he soon found an advertisement in the newspaper for Sour Milk Sea, who were looking for a vocalist. They liked the way he moved and sang, so they took him without any hesitation.

But the group did not last long and soon fell apart. Freddie moved into the already familiar Smile and took the place of the departed vocalist. Smile itself has already achieved some success. He even played as an opening act for famous Pink Floyd. So the situation looked rather different: Freddie was invited. Brian and Roger did not want to stop their musical careers.

Freddie immediately decided to change the name to Queen, which means “Queen”, and took a more suitable pseudonym. He already had “Freddie”, and instead of Bulsar, he began to call himself Mercury.

Freddie Mercury a legend of rock music, who in his work was able to combine various musical genres. The singer was distinguished by unsurpassed optimism, faith in his own strengths and the musical capabilities of the group. He never became discouraged or stopped; he strictly pursued his goal and achieved success. Even after death, his name is not forgotten, his songs do not leave the leading positions in various charts, and friends and relatives with sorrow in their hearts share memories of the kind and generous Freddie.

Childhood and youth

On September 5, 1946, in the Stone Town of Zanzibar, in the Parsi family of Bulsara, a boy was born who was destined to become a world-class star. The baby’s parents named him Farrukh, which means “happy.”

In 1954, Farrukh moved to his relatives in Panchgani, where he enrolled in St. Peter's School. There is an opinion that it was there that he was first named Freddie; almost all the students at the school were English-speaking; it was difficult for them to pronounce Farrukh’s real name. The boy studied very diligently, which is confirmed by many certificates and certificates of commendation for various achievements. Behind school years Freddie showed interest in three areas: sports, music and painting. He took part in school theater productions several times.

The first person who noticed the boy's musical talent was the school principal. He sent a letter to Freddie's parents, offering his services as a piano teacher. The parents agreed and from that moment on, every day, music became closer to the boy. Thanks to his efforts, at the end of his studies, Freddie received a 4th degree knowledge of the theory and practice of playing the piano.

In 1956, five students from St. Peter's School organized their own musical group, whose name is The Hectics, translated into Russian as crazy. The group was popular among school students and constantly played at parties and dances.

At the age of 16, Freddie Mercury graduated from St. Peter's School and returned to his parents in Zanzibar. However, he did not live there long, since in 1964 the power in Zanzibar changed, and due to the unstable political situation on the island, the Bulsara family left Zanzibar and hastily moved to the UK.

Freddie's family lived with relatives for 2 years and then purchased their own home. At this time, the boy turned 18 years old and entered a polytechnic school. Throughout his studies, Freddie was actively involved in painting; he wanted to connect his life with this. During the holidays I had to earn extra money, as the family lived in poverty.

After graduating from the Polytechnic School, Freddie entered Ealing Art College in London, where he chose the department of graphic illustration. He left his family and moved to Kensington, where his musical career began.

Path to fame

Despite studying in college, music was always close to Freddie. The first fateful meeting took place in Ealing. In 1967, the future musician met Timm Staffel, the leader of the then little-known group Smile. When Freddie first attended the band's rehearsal, he immediately noted the great promise of the musicians' work. Their work inspired Freddie, and he began experimenting at home and combining different styles and trends in music, sometimes with the help of his apartment neighbor Chris Smith. Some musical experiments were quite successful and could have become hits of that time, but Freddie did not perform on stage.

In 1969, training ended and it was at that moment that Freddie finally decided on his priorities. Music took first place in the young man’s life, and he tried in every possible way to achieve success in this direction.

In August 1969, a 23-year-old young man joined the Ibex group. In a few days, he completely studies the group’s repertoire, adds several of his own works and goes with them on the first mini tour. The group was then renamed Wreckage. With this composition and name, the group did not last long, and soon broke up.

There is no information to what extent Freddie was upset by the split of the group, but after a short break he took the place of vocalist in the group Sour Milk Sea. In the new group, Freddie became close friends with Chris Chesney. Within a few days, Chris moved into the apartment where Freddie lived with the members of the Smile group, and after 2 months, due to internal disagreements, the Sour Milk Sea group broke up.

In 1970, the vocalist left the Smile group, and Freddie took his place. Soon, on the initiative of the singer, the group was renamed Queen. For more than a year, the team underwent composition changes, and only in 1971 was it finally formed.

Fame

Freddie was distinguished by his originality and constantly tried to bring his ideas to life. After the permanent composition of the group was approved, he developed the coat of arms of the musical group. The image was developed based on the coat of arms of Great Britain with the symbols of the group and the zodiac signs of the participating musicians. At the same time, the musician changed his last name to the stage name Mercury.

Solo career and peak of fame as a member of Queen

Since the formation of the group, Freddie has become one of the main songwriters and musical compositions team. It was Mercury who wrote the first composition to hit the charts. In 1974, he wrote the song Bohemian Rhapsody, which is considered Queen's most successful work. To that piece of music many were skeptical and predicted failure, but after recording the single and video, the song remained in the leading position in the hit parades for 9 weeks.

In 1975, the band's musicians toured for the first time in Japan, where they encountered a real fan boom. According to the musicians, such success took them by surprise; no one expected such a number of fans. It was from this moment that the group's popularity began to grow rapidly.

For many years, the musicians actively toured and released albums. In total, during the existence of the group, 17 albums were released together with Mercury. In July 1985, a very important event took place for the group: the Live Aid concert took place at Wembley Stadium, in which legendary musicians and members of the Queen group took part. The concert was broadcast on live worldwide, more than 75 thousand spectators were present at the stadium.

A year later, the musical group independently gave a concert at the stadium in support of the album A Kind of Magic, only there were almost twice as many spectators in the stands. This concert tour ended with the band's final show on August 9 at Knebworth, unfortunately it was last performance team in in full force. Mercury left Queen for a solo career.

In February 1987, Freddie Mercury released his first independent single, and later he began recording joint songs with Montserrat Caballe. Their duet became a real breakthrough for the singer, and already in April 1987, they began work on a new joint album. The legendary song “Barcelona,” which the singers performed as a duet, became popular all over the world. Mercury dedicated the song to the homeland of the famous Caballe. On October 8, 1988, the duo was invited to Barcelona for the La Nit festival, where they performed several songs from their joint album.

On this day, fans saw the singer’s public performance for the last time, as Mercury’s health was already critical. After 2 days, the Barcelona album went on sale, and the single of the same name became an anthem Olympic Games which took place in Barcelona.

During his solo career, during his lifetime, the singer released two albums; all the rest were released after the singer’s death.

Personal life

All that is known about the singer’s personal life is the stories of friends and relatives. The singer himself never talked about life behind the scenes. Only after his death did some details become clear from the behind-the-scenes life of the legendary musician. However, it is worth noting that the musician’s loved ones will forever remain faithful to Mercury and will not tell the world details that the singer would like to hide.

Freddie's longest relationship was with Mary Austin. This girl conquered him. It was about her that he said that she was the only friend of his life. From memories of her relationship with Mercury, Mary says that Freddie once gave her an engagement ring and proposed to her. However, due to his inconstancy, he quickly changed his mind and never returned to the issue of the wedding. After 7 years life together the singer confessed to Mary about his orientation, on this love relationship ended, but they continued to live in the same house and be friends for 20 years.

Austin has always been loyal to Freddie, unlike him. He did not hesitate to bring his partners to the house and tell Mary about his hobbies. But, despite this, he always asked her to stay close, not leave, and support him. Mary eventually married and gave birth to a son, Mercury being his godfather. After the singer’s death, she gave birth to a second son, but now she lives and raises her children alone.

After her death, Mary Austin inherited the Mercury mansion; he explained his decision by the desire for her to own his house and run the household there. “If you were my wife, you would still get it,” the singer said in the last days of his life. During his musical career, Freddie dedicated several songs to her, in which he spoke about the strength of his feelings for this woman.

In the singer’s life there was another short love story named Barbara Valentin. They met in 1983, the singer mentioned her in the dedication of his first solo album with the quote: “Thank you for the big tits and bad behavior.”

This ended relationships with women forever; the rest of the time Freddie Mercury dated men. Many believe that among all Freddie’s boyfriends there was not a single truly sincere partner who loved the musician. All the singer’s companions pursued more mercantile goals. Freddie was very generous and never skimped on expensive gifts for his companions.

Children

Children have legendary singer no, he never set out to have a family and children. The only woman who was ready to bear him children never heard Mercury’s cherished words about marriage.

Before death

Despite the severe condition and irreversible processes in the body, Mercury was engaged in music until his last days, actively writing songs and recording albums. He kept silent about his illness for a long time and only on November 23, 1991, he officially announced a positive test result for AIDS.

How and from what did he die?

Freddie Mercury hid his AIDS disease for a long time, although information about the musician’s health condition was sometimes leaked to the press. After strong weight loss singer, the rumors intensified. Due to his health, the musicians were forced to abandon their usual concert tours and revise their tour schedule.

Mercury died on November 24, 1991, in his mansion from bronchopneumonia, which the singer developed due to an underlying illness.

Funeral

The singer's funeral took place in the presence of family and friends; there were no strangers at the ceremony. The ceremony took place according to the customs of the singer’s family, who professed Zoroastrianism. Mercury's last wish was to have his body cremated. Although the family's beliefs do not favor such a procedure, no one contradicted the singer's posthumous wishes. Mercury set out on his last journey on earth accompanied by the voice of Manserrat Caballe.

Another of the singer's posthumous wishes was for Mary Austin to bury his ashes herself, in a place that no one should ever know about. According to her, Mercury was very worried that fans would not desecrate his burial. For two years, the urn with his ashes remained in the singer’s bedroom, and only then Mary carried out a secret burial. The place where the ashes are buried is still unknown to anyone. Sometimes rumors appear in the press that fans have discovered the grave of a rock legend, but Mary claims that this is not so. She will not reveal the secret of burying the ashes, since she never betrayed Mercury during her life, and after death she will remain faithful to him.

Posthumous fame

After the singer's death, for several years, albums were still being released that he did not manage to publish during his lifetime. A monument to the legendary musician was erected in Switzerland. A year after his death Queen group, gave a concert dedicated to the memory of the singer. The money raised, more than £19 million, was donated to the AIDS Foundation. Bohemian Rhapsody became the best song of the millennium. And the unchanging single “We Are The Champions” will forever remain the unofficial anthem of various sports competitions.

Facts from life

Manserrat Caballe is very grateful to Mercury for their joint work, since before them, no one was able to connect two completely separate, musical genre. The singer believes that this was the reason why more young people began to go to the opera.

Mercury was madly in love with cats; sometimes during tours he called his assistant and she gave him the opportunity to communicate with his pets.
The singer was terrified of flying, and constantly tried to avoid such a means of transportation.

Despite the huge number of interviews that the singer gave during his life, he did not like journalists, often disrupted filming or did not answer many questions. He believed that any word he said would still be presented differently.

Voice

As they say music critics, Mercury’s voice data did not go beyond the average of professional baritones. However, one cannot help but notice the excellent mastery of high-frequency modulation, which helps to sing with vibrato and the execution of elements of Tuvan throat singing. All this, taken together, provided an unsurpassed combination that had never been seen before until today.

Video

Freddie Mercury - Living On My Own (1993 Remix)

Drawing, sports, and from the age of seven he studied piano.

In 1964, Bulsara's family moved to the UK.

In 1965, Mercury entered Ealing Art College, where he studied painting, design, and was interested in ballet and music. In 1970, he joined fellow student rock band Smile members Brian May and Roger Taylor, replacing his former classmate. With the arrival of bass guitarist John Deacon in 1971, a twenty-year star story a band called Queen.

In 1972, Freddie took the pseudonym Mercury (English: Mercury, mercury). He played a leading role in shaping the musical concept of the group and was the author of most of the compositions - Bohemian Rhapsody, the lyrical ballad Love Of My Life (both 1975), the song We Are The Champions (1977), which became the anthem of sports fans.

In addition to working in the group, Mercury released several solo discs. His single Love Kills (1984) and album Mr. Bad Guy (1985) was a top ten UK hit, and the single The Great Pretender (1987) was number four.

In 1988, the Barcelona disc was released, on which Mercury performed classic opera arias together with soprano Montserrat Caballe. The single Barcelona became the official anthem of the 1992 Olympics held in Barcelona.

Possessing acting skills, Mercury turned the group's concerts into shows. In addition to his powerful, instantly recognizable voice, he amazed with his emotionality, temperament, plasticity, and avant-garde costumes. Mercury's desire to combine music and theater, light and sound effects was embodied in the creation of the group's video clips. He wrote most of the scripts for the videos and directed their production.

However, a number of the group’s works were criticized for homosexual motives, especially the “I Want to Break Free” video.

On November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury died in London. The day before his death, he admitted that he had AIDS. Mercury died of pneumonia caused by AIDS.

It is known that he was cremated at Kensal Green Cemetery, the burial place is unknown.

At London's Kensal Green cemetery, Queen fans found a plaque with a dedication, in their opinion, to the musician Freddie Mercury. The inscription on it was dedicated to Farukh Bulsara, and the dates of birth and death also coincided. The appeal is signed with the letter "M" - presumably this is Mary Austin, close girlfriend musician, with whom he lived for about seven years.

On his deathbed, the Queen lead singer bequeathed to her his Kensington mansion on Logan Place and the proceeds from the records sold. In addition, he asked Austin to bury his ashes in secret place— did not want a posthumous pilgrimage of numerous fans to his grave.

Before his death, Mercury also donated proceeds from the re-release of Bohemian Rhapsody to the Terrence Higgins AIDS charity.

In 1992, Mercury's Queen colleagues organized grand concert memory of the singer at London's Wembley Stadium, in which many took part famous musicians, who performed Mercury's best songs.

Some of Mercury's songs did not see the light of day during the singer's lifetime: they were included in Queen's album, Made in Heaven, released in 1995.

In the 2000s, Queen resumed concert activities without its legendary soloist.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Childhood

Freddie Mercury was born on September 5, 1946 in Zanzibar, his name was then Farrukh Bulsara. Freddy he became with light hand his friends, and took the pseudonym Mercury himself much later, in 1970 - either in honor of the quirky god Mercury, or in honor of the planet of the same name that rules all Virgos. In any case, it wasn't random selection. Mercury walked towards his glory thanks to incredible energy and determination, calculating every step and only occasionally relying on intuition. His parents - Bomi and Jer - were Persians. Bomi's father worked as a cashier for the British government. In 1952, Freddie's sister Cashmere was born. And in 1954, when Freddie was only 8 years old, he was sent to India and assigned to St. Peter's School in Panchgani - 500 miles from Bombay.

St. Peter's School was typically English and all the sports played there were typically English. Freddie hated cricket and long-distance running, but he loved hockey, sprinting and boxing, and at the age of 10 he became the school table tennis champion. But his talents were not limited to sports. At the age of 12, he won the cup in the youth all-around.

He loved painting and constantly made drawings for friends and relatives. And, of course, with early years Freddie was crazy about music. He listened to records on his old home record player, stacking them and spinning them continuously. While listening to music, Freddie loved to sing along. The music was mostly Indian, although sometimes there was Western music - he sang everything and greatly preferred this activity to school lessons.

On musical abilities Freddie was brought to the attention of the headmaster of St. Peter's School. He wrote a letter to his parents, where he offered to give him the opportunity to seriously study music for a small additional payment. They agreed and Freddie began to learn to play the piano. He also began singing in the school choir and regularly took part in school theater productions. He liked piano lessons - here he could definitely apply his talent. As a result, Freddie received a 4th degree in theory and practice.

CONTINUED BELOW

Youth

In 1962, Freddie graduated from St. Peter's School and returned to Zanzibar, where he spent his free time with friends in markets, parks and beaches. Zanzibar was a British colony with Africans and Arabs making up the majority of its population. When unrest began in the country in 1964, many British and Indians were forced to leave, although no one drove them out. Among those who left Zanzibar were the Bulsara family - they headed to England.

At first they lived with relatives in Feltham (Middlesex), then they had the opportunity to buy their own small house in the same area. 17-year-old Freddie chose an art college for himself, but for this he needed to get the appropriate grade in painting. In September 1964 he entered nearby Aylesworth Polytechnic School. During the holidays, he tried to work at least a little - either in the supply department of Heathrow Airport, or at the Feltham trading enterprise, where he had to lift and stack heavy baskets and boxes. The workers, looking at his hands, which were completely unsuitable for this kind of work, asked what he was doing here. He replied that he was a musician and that he just needed something to do, and so great was his charm that his comrades quickly took over the lion's share of his work.

Aesthetic side school life clearly appealed to him more than the academic one, but he easily earned the required grade in painting and in the spring of 1966 became a graduate of the Islesworth School. Thanks to this score, as well as his natural talent, he was readily accepted into Ealing Art College. In September 1966, he began taking a course in graphic illustration.

Freddie became friends with a student from his college, Tim Staffell. As their friendship grew, Tim began inviting Freddie to rehearsals for his band Smile, where he played bass and sang. In addition to Tim, the group included a guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. The sound of the group made a lasting impression on Freddie, especially Brian's playing. Inspired by "Smile", he embarked on musical experiments for the first time after leaving India. His partners were first Tim and Nigel Foster, another art college student, then Chris Smith. When Chris first heard Freddie's voice, he was fascinated. And his manner of playing the piano - outwardly spectacular, with Mozartian ease - combined with a strong touch, was distinguished by its unique originality, and this also did not leave Chris indifferent. They tried to write songs together. As Chris recalled, it was unlikely that they had completed anything, but he noted that these sessions with Freddie taught him a lot. "I immediately noticed that Freddie had an innate sense of melody,- Chris recalled, - and that's what attracted me the most". Even then, Freddie experimented, combining several melodies together in different keys, trying to achieve the greatest effect. You should definitely take this into account when listening to Bohemian Rhapsody.

The beginning of the way

Freddie graduated from Ealing in June 1969 with a degree in graphics and design and a couple of advertising assignments for the local newspaper. He moved into Roger Taylor's apartment and that same summer they opened their own kiosk in Kensington Market. At first they sold the works of Freddie and his college friends, and then all sorts of clothes - new and used, which they could get. That same summer he was introduced to the Liverpool trio Ibex - the guys came to London to try their luck. They were guitarist Mike Bersin, bassist John "Tupp" Taylor, and drummer Mick "Miffer" Smith. With them were their main and road manager Ken Testi and another member Geoff Higgins, who sometimes had to play bass when "Tupp" - an ardent Jethro Tull fan - wanted to play the flute.

Freddie's meeting with Ibex took place on August 13, 1969, and after 10 days he studied their entire repertoire, added several songs and was ready to go with them to Bolton (Lancashire) to give his first concert. Performances in Bolton took place as part of the annual blues festivals, covered by the local press. Ibex concerts took place on August 23 at the Oktogon Theater and on August 25 at Queen's Park.

After that, Freddie began looking for a new group and found an ad in Melody Maker: the group "Sour Milk Sea" ("sea") sour milk") a vocalist was required. There is a story about the pomp with which Freddie appeared before them. Although several other very worthy candidates came that day, as soon as Freddie began to sing, it became clear that they would take him. Freddie's voice was distinguished by its extraordinary beauty and wide range But it’s not just his voice, his very behavior, his ability to present himself made an indelible impression. Those who saw the performances at least in the recordings will understand what he was talking about, as Ken Testi recalled, he did everything that Freddie did later. and at the very first performance in “Ibex” - this was not something developed over the years, it was a rare natural gift, in unique harmony with his voice, and with external data, and with his subtle artistic taste and musicality in the very in a broad sense. And the fact that he himself realized this made him absolutely irresistible!

Other members of the band were Chris Chesney on vocals and guitar, bassist Paul Milne, Jeremy "Rubber" Gallop on rhythm guitar, and Rob Tyrell on drums. They had a few rehearsals and then a couple of shows in Chris's home town of Oxford. Freddie and Chris, who was about 17 at the time, became fast friends and Chris moved into a flat on Ferry Road where Freddie lived with members of Smile. The other members of Sour Milk Sea were not very impressed with Freddie and Chris spending so much time together - they were much more concerned about the future of the group. And two months later, Jeremy, who owned almost all the equipment, took it away, which meant the breakup of the group. In April 1970, Tim Staffell decided to leave Smile and Freddie took over as vocalist. He changed the name of the group to , and his last name to Mercury.

The further biography of Freddie Mercury largely coincides with the biography of the group. In 1970, Freddie met Mary Austin. They lived together for seven years, but remained friends for life. Later, statements appeared in the press more than once that Freddie was a homosexual.

In 1971, John Deacon joined the group - since then they have been in full force. Freddie came up with a crest for the group based on the zodiac signs of its members: two fairies for him (Virgo), two lions for Roger and John (Leo) and a crab for Brian (Cancer). It was Freddie who became the author of the first song to hit the British charts - (Seven Seas Of Rhye). He also owns the first big hit (Killer Queen), as well as the most famous song group (Bohemian Rhapsody), which stayed at the top of the British charts for 9 weeks. At concerts Freddie was always in the foreground. In 1975 they toured Japan, where they were accompanied everywhere by a screaming crowd of enthusiastic fans. This was the first time they had received such an unusual and unexpected welcome. Freddie simply fell in love with this country and began collecting Japanese paintings and antiques.

On October 7, 1979, Freddie's long-time dream came true - he performed with the Royal Ballet. He chose Bohemian Rhapsody and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. The melody was performed by an orchestra, and Freddie sang live. The performance began with Bohemian Rhapsody and was a huge success among ballet lovers, who gave him a standing ovation after both numbers.

In 1980, Freddie changed his image - he made short haircut and grew a mustache. After this, many fans began sending him "gifts" - nail polish and razor blades.

At the end of 1982, they unanimously decided that they needed to take a break and rest from each other. They announced that there would be no touring in 1983. Freddie has long been thinking about the possibility of releasing solo album– now he had time for this. At the beginning of 1983, he began recording at the Musicland studio in Munich. During this period he was introduced to the composer Giorgio Moroder. Moroder took part in the revival of Fritz Lang's silent science fiction film "Metropolis", filmed back in 1926, which it was decided to dub modern music. He asked Freddie to take part in co-writing a song for the film and Freddie agreed. He has never co-written or performed cover songs with anyone other than Larry Lurex. The result of this collaboration was the song Love Kills.

On September 10, 1984, Freddie's first solo single was released - the song Love Kills, written together with Giorgio Moroder, for the film Metropolis. And the first single from his future solo album was I Was Born To Love You, released on April 9, 1985. Three weeks later, the album itself appeared, entitled Mr. Bad Guy. It was released on CBS Records. July 13, 1985 was a special day for Freddie. That day, the Live Aid concert took place - a grand show at Wembley Stadium, where 72 thousand spectators were present. The concert was broadcast on television all over the world, i.e. More than a billion people watched it! With their performance they secured their place in history, and all observers, journalists, fans and critics were unanimous in the opinion that the group became the highlight of the program.

At the beginning of 1987, there was some lull, which Freddie took advantage of to record another solo number in the Townhouse studio. It was a cover of an old Platters song, The Great Pretender. The single was released on February 23.

In March 1987, Freddie flew to Barcelona to meet Montserrat Caballe. He gave her a cassette on which two of his songs were recorded (according to other sources - 4). Spanish opera diva appreciated them and even performed one of them - to Freddie's great surprise - at a concert in London's Covent Garden. And in early April, these two artists of such different genres began working on a joint album. At the end of May, a grand festival took place in the famous “Ku Club” on the island of Ibiza. Freddie was the guest of honor and, together with Montserrat Caballe, performed at the closing of the festival. They performed the song Barcelona, ​​which they dedicated to Freddie hometown Montserrat. On October 8, 1988, Freddie and Montserrat performed at another grand festival - La Nit, this time in Barcelona itself. They performed 3 songs: How Can I Go On, The Golden Boy and Barcelona, ​​and the piano part was performed by Mike Moran, co-writer of the songs. The long-awaited album Barcelona was finally released on October 10th.

Sunset

The performance on October 8 was Freddie's last appearance in front of the public. By that time he was already seriously ill with AIDS, but did not want people to know about it. He announced his illness only the day before his death, leaving his entire fortune to his sister, his only to a loved one, and also to your beloved cats. Despite everything, he continued to write songs and make records and even starred in video clips. Already quite ill, he shot a wonderful video for the song I'm Going Slightly Mad. On November 24, 1991, Freddie died at home in London from bronchial pneumonia, which developed against the background of AIDS. Musicians

The future great Freddie Mercury was born in September 1946 on the island of Zanzibar in the family of Parsi Zoroastrians Bomi and Jer Bulsar. The parents named their son Farrukh, which means “beautiful”, “happy”. The fate of the boy from Zanzibar could indeed be envied. His parents noticed his musical abilities early and supported them with singing and playing the piano. When the child turned 8 years old, his parents sent him to study in India, with his aunt and uncle. His classmates had a hard time pronouncing the name Farrukh, so they simply started calling him Freddy. Freddie was one of the best in his class: he won many sports awards and certificates for success in science and art. He sang in the choir, played school theater and even formed his first rock band with his classmates. Freddie came up with the funny name “The Heltics” himself. The group broke up when Freddie graduated from school and returned to his parents in Zanzibar.

Escape to Success

In 1964, Great Britain declared Zanzibar an independent country. Political unrest began on the island, and the Bulsar family fled to Great Britain to live with relatives. Over time, Freddie's parents settled in a new place and bought their own house, their daughter Kashmira was sent to school, and their son was sent to study to become an artist.

Popular

And again Freddie was among the best. After graduating from Islesworth College, Freddie entered a competition at the prestigious Ealing Art College. In 1966, Freddie went to London to study as an illustrator. In the capital, the future singer found himself in bohemian society: he was surrounded by aspiring artists and painters. Freddie felt like a fish out of water. He was among the musicians and began composing songs under their influence.

From artist to musician

Having received a diploma in graphic design, Freddie left this occupation and devoted himself to music. At the age of 23 he met the group Ibex. Freddie was inspired by their work and learned the entire repertoire. His stage presence and unusual voice helped him become part of his favorite team. As a member of Ibex, Freddie performed covers of songs by Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.

On the wave of success, Freddie suggests giving the group a more spectacular name. For example, The Wreckage - “Wreck”. This was not the best idea, because, as in a real crash, the members began to leave the group one by one. Ultimately the team disbanded. Freddie went in search of new like-minded people.

Vocalist by ad

Freddie responded to an advertisement from the band Sour Milk Sea looking for a vocalist and was accepted immediately. However, the team broke up due to internal disagreements, and in 1970 Freddie became a vocalist in the group Smile, where he again proposed changing the name - this time successfully. Two years later, the newly formed Queen gang consisting of Freddie Bulsara, John Deacon, Roger Taylor and Brian May recording his debut album. It was then that Freddie took the pseudonym Mercury.

Coronation "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Mercury wrote songs for the group himself. Seven Seas of Rhye, Killer Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody instantly rose to the top of the British charts, and the group became famous outside of England. By the way, the non-standard philosophical composition Bohemian Rhapsody was predicted to be a complete failure. The song was very long and simply strange, combining several musical styles. But Freddie convinced the other members of the group not only to record “Rhapsody,” but also to shoot a video for it. The success was enormous, and the name Mercury became synonymous with the musical revolution of that time.

According to the Queen musicians themselves, they felt famous in 1975 during a tour of Japan. Brian May said that no one expected such a reaction from the audience. It was not just adoration, but something like admiration. Freddie was a modest and shy person, but on stage, on the contrary, he shocked the audience with his behavior and unusual costumes. In 1980, Mercury grew a mustache and got a short haircut. His signature accessory was a microphone on a half-disassembled stand, with which he ran and jumped around the stage.

Much love Freddie Mercury

The singer's manners raised questions among gossips about his sexual orientation. Mercury laughed it off. One day, an interview appeared in The Sun newspaper in which Freddie allegedly admitted that he was gay. The singer called it slander and added that even if he wanted to draw attention to himself, it would not be in this way.

Since 1970, Mercury dated Mary Austin, a former fashion store saleswoman. Freddie and Mary lived together for 7 years, but Freddie could no longer keep his bisexuality a secret from Mary. The confession shocked the girl. She did not believe the rumors that Freddie was having an affair with the executive director of the Elektra Records recording studio, but it turned out to be true. Freddie did everything to keep Mary as his friend. Mercury considered Mary both his wife and his closest person. Freddie even became godfather to her eldest son when she married another man. Freddie dedicated the song Love of My Life to Mary Austin.

In the 80s, legends were made about Mercury's adventures. He was credited with having affairs with the Austrian actress Barbara Valentin, who starred in one of Queen's videos, with German restaurateur Winfried Kirchberger, with work colleagues and even with fans.

In 1985, Mercury met hairdresser Jim Hutton. By this time, the singer knew that he was terminally ill, and admitted this to Jim. He supported the musician for 6 years until his death. Jim took care of Mercury in the last days and minutes of his life. After the musician’s death, Hutton released his memoirs “Mercury and Me” and went to his native Ireland, where he lived for another 15 years before his own death from lung cancer.

Life as art

Being an artist by training, Mercury had a keen sense of art and dreamed of being on the same stage with the Royal Ballet. And this dream came true. In 1979, the group and the Royal Ballet performed together to the songs Bohemian Rhapsody and Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

In 1983, Freddie met Montserrat Caballe. Mercury was fascinated by Verdi's opera Un ballo in maschera and the voice legendary singer. Four years later, Freddie gave Montserrat a cassette with his songs, and then it was Caballe’s turn to admire his colleague. Montserrat covered one of Queen's songs during her performance in Covent Garden!

In 1987, the singer herself invited Mercury to record a joint album. A year later, at a festival in the Ku-Club concert hall, they performed the song Barcelona together, then at the La Nit festival in Barcelona they surprised the audience with new hits Golden Boy and How Can I Go On. This triumph marked the zenith of Freddie Mercury's creativity. The illness no longer allowed him to perform.

There's almost no time left

Queen's concert at Wembley Stadium in London in 1985 was the loudest in the band's history. 75 thousand spectators, live broadcast around the world, Elton John, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Sting, Black Sabbath and U2 among the guest stars - it was a huge success. At the same time, Freddie recorded four songs with Michael Jackson. The duet There Must Be More to Life Than This was included in Mercury's solo album Mr. Bad Guy. And during this period Freddie learned about the fatal diagnosis. He was only forty years old.

Mercury hid why he stopped performing, although, of course, rumors about his illness had already leaked to the press. Only the musician’s family and closest friends knew about the diagnosis. In 1989, the group announced that they were taking a short break, but would continue to record albums.

It was Mercury's initiative. He wanted to live. And this thirst for life and creativity forced him to work with all his might. Freddie lost weight and his appearance scared even his friends, but he didn’t want to give up. In addition to the album Barcelona, ​​recorded with Montserrat Caballe, Freddie recorded the album Innuendo with Queen. The musicians had to record several black and white clips in order to somehow hide the singer’s condition.

The artist was ready to live in the dressing room so as not to waste energy on the way home. At his request, a bed and everything necessary were placed there. Despite the persuasion of his friends, Mercury refused to retire and simply asked that his make-up be done more carefully. Even fainting did not stop him. During the filming of the video for the song Show must go on, which became a kind of farewell anthem for Freddie, we had to take breaks because Mercury constantly lost consciousness.

The secret of the great Freddie Mercury

Freddie spoke about his illness the day before his death. On November 23, 1991, he stated: “I want to confirm that my blood test showed the presence of HIV. I have AIDS. I considered it necessary to keep this information secret in order to preserve the peace of my family and friends. However, the time has come to tell the truth to my friends and fans around the world. I hope everyone will join the fight against this terrible disease."

On November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury died at his home in London from bronchial pneumonia progressing against the background of AIDS.