In recent years, he lived a secluded life and resisted responding to persistent rumors that he had AIDS. After his death on November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury's body was cremated at Kensal Green Cemetery however, the location of his grave remains a mystery. Mercury later released solo albums, including 'The Great Pretender.' He rose to fame as the bravura singer for Queen, whose elaborate and occasionally bombastic songs made the group one of the most popular in the 1970's. Mercury, whose name was originally Frederick Bulsara, was born in Zanzibar, the son of a Government accountant. It was Freddie Mercurys last filmed performance, as he died on November 24 of that year. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, when Freddie Mercury died in 1991 he left a quarter of his net worth and future income earned from Queen to his parents, and a quarter to his sister, Kashmira Bulsara.Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar in 1946, a small island just off the east coast of Africa, according to Biography. Mercury called on his fans around the world to join the fight against AIDS. In a statement on the eve of his death, Mr. He was one of a number of celebrities who had announced that they suffered from AIDS to try to increase the public's awareness of the disease. Although Queen's commercial success waned in the 1980's, it was partly vindicated when the hook from 'Under Pressure,' its collaboration with David Bowie in 1982, was borrowed by the rapper Vanilla Ice for his hit single 'Ice, Ice Baby.' From Zanzibar to the World Stage This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time.

Queen thrived commercially from 1975, when 'Killer Queen' appeared, to 1980, when the disco-style 'Another One Bites the Dust' reached No. When did freddie mercury die Last Update: May 30, 2022. But he also sang dramatic solo vocals in hits like the ballad 'We Are the Champions' and the mock-rockabilly song 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love.' Mercury overdubbed his voice until it became a choir, with words like 'Mama mia,' 'Galileo' and 'Figaro' bouncing up and down the octaves. In one of Queen's definitive hits, 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' Mr. Mercury strutted and preened, by turns campy and almost militaristic, at the center of Queen's stage shows. In its mid-1970's heyday, the group created an image of playful decadence while fabricating elaborate studio productions on its albums, overdubbing multiple guitar and vocal lines. Mercury helped to forge a hugely popular hybrid of hard-rock, pop, heavy-metal, cabaret and a hint of opera. Mercury announced on Saturday that he had AIDS.Īs the lead singer and lyricist for Queen, Mr. He died of bronchopneumonia resulting from AIDS, his publicity agent said. The Queen frontman succumbed to his battle with Aids on November 24, having released a public statement just 24. Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the hard-rock group Queen, died today at his home in Kensington here. Freddie Mercury's final days in 1991 remain enshrined in mystery, nearly 30 years on.