Page 43 - Great Elizabethans

Freddie loved cats
– so much so that
he kept 10 of them, giving them names like Goliath, Tiffany and Romeo. Every cat got a Christmas stocking, filled with treats and toys – and in 1985 Freddie even dedicated an album to one of them!
QUEEN TAKES TO THE STAGE
Then Freddie met two people who would help him create truly world-changing music: a guitar player called Brian May and a drummer called Roger Taylor, both members of a band named Smile. When the lead singer of Smile left in 1970, Freddie, aged 24, took over from him – and got the band to change their name to Queen. At about the same time, he changed his own surname
from Bulsara to Mercury. The next year, the band was joined by the bassist John
Deacon, and Queen’s line-up was complete.
Queen’s first album, just called Queen, and their second, Queen II, didn’t sell many copies, but the band still carried on making music, and went on
to become incredibly successful. Ten years after Freddie joined the
band, tens of thousands of fans were packing stadiums to see
them perform, desperate to hear songs like: “We Will Rock
You”, “We Are The Champions”,
“Another One Bites the Dust”,
“I Want to Break Free” and
“Bohemian Rhapsody”.
UNFORGETTABLE PERFORMER
Freddie’s extraordinary voice, flamboyant performing style and outrageous stage personality combined with Brian May’s amazing guitar skills to wow
their audiences. Freddie wore outfits like angel wings, silver-sequinned leotards, harlequin suits and royal robes during shows. Although he was shy in daily life, he moved about the stage with incredible flair,
delighting the crowds with his performances.
Although he never talked publicly about it, Freddie had relationships
with both men and women. During the 1980s, many people, especially gay men, died of an illness called AIDS. Freddie announced that he had the
disease in 1991. He died the next day, at the tragically young age of 45
– but leaving behind a musical legacy that would never
Queen’s most famous song, “Bohemian Rhapsody", is nearly six minutes long! The band was told it could never be a hit when they wanted to release it, but it became their most popular track. It is often voted the greatest song ever made!
be forgotten. His assistant said he had just one regret: “that he still had music in him”.
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