Freddie Mercury (Queen) died today in 1991 - TIMH

Freddie Mercury, one of rock’s greatest frontmen, died today in 1991. Famous for his work as lead singer for the band Queen, Mercury was equal parts style and substance. While his flamboyant costumes and theatrics garnered much attention they were never able to overshadow his considerable musical talent.

Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946 on the British-controlled island of Zanzibar. Mercury’s family was Parsi, a Persian people who followed the teachings of the ancient prophet Zoroaster. At the time of the Muslim conquest of what is now Iran, the predominant religion was Zoroastrianism. The Zoroastrians resisted occupation for hundreds of years but were finally defeated and many Parsis left the area and fled to India.

Mercury’s family also moved to India, albeit much later, and that is where Mercury spent the majority of his childhood. Mercury started playing piano at age seven and had an uncanny ability to play by ear. He dabbled in a few bands while in school before relocating back to Zanzibar with his parents. When he was 17, his family moved to England to escape the violence of the Zanzibar Revolution.

Once in England, Mercury enrolled in an art college. After graduation he joined a series of bands that went nowhere, including a band called Wreckage. While in Wreckage, Mercury was introduced to Brian May and Roger Taylor from a band called Smile. In 1970 Smile was in need of a singer and Mercury joined. They soon changed their name to Queen and by 1973 they had signed with EMI Records.

Their self-titled debut album was released in the same year and it cracked the Top 100 album chart. They released their follow up album, “Queen II”, in 1974 and it broke through to the Top 50. Later in 1974 they released their third album, “Sheer Heart Attack”, which just missed the Top 10 on the album chart but provided the band with their highest charting single to that point, “Killer Queen”.

“Sheer Heart Attack” was a major step forward for the band and was the first to really introduce us to the “Queen sound”. It was a showcase not only for Mercury’s vocal talents but also the superb guitar playing of Brian May on a heavier track called “Stone Cold Crazy”. The song was an old one that Mercury wrote while with Wreckage but it was reworked and, believe it or not, became a blueprint of sorts for future metal bands. Metallica even covered the song in 1998.

It was Queen’s next album in 1975 that placed the band among the biggest bands in the world. “A Night at the Opera” was, at the time, the most expensive record ever produced but it more than paid for itself by selling over 12 million copies. The album deftly mixed heavy rock with progressive rock and gave us one of rock’s most enduring and unlikely hit songs, “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

Queen would release ten more albums, for a total of fourteen, while Mercury was alive. They gave one of the most legendary performances in rock history at the Live Aid concert in 1985, which was broadcast worldwide and reinforced Queen’s place as titans of rock and roll some fifteen years after they formed. Also in 1985, Mercury released his first solo album, “Mr. Bad Guy” and followed with his last solo album, “Barcelona” in 1988.

Mercury was diagnosed with HIV in 1987 though it was only disclosed to the band and close friends and family. HIV is never pleasant but in 1987 it probably would have ended Mercury’s career had it become known publicly. Long before his diagnosis there were rumors about his health and sexuality that he never explicitly confirmed or denied. It became evident as Mercury continued to appear in public that he was seriously ill.

Mercury started appearing publicly less frequently which, combined with tabloid stories purportedly from Mercury’s former lovers, only added to the rumors. On November 23, 1991 Mercury finally released a public statement through his manager which confirmed that he had AIDS. Less than 24 hours later he was dead. In keeping with his faith, he was laid to rest in a service presided over by a Zoroastrian priest on November 27.

“Ogre Battle” off the album “Queen II” 1974: