The legendary lead singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury, was diagnosed with AIDS in the late
‘80s and passed away a few years later.
But what were his last days like?
From his final songs to last birthday, here’s what happened in the final year of Freddie
Mercury’s life.
Mercury spent the last years of his life involved with men, but his greatest love was a woman.
Mary Austin remained by his side for his whole life, despite no formal vow exchange.
As shown in the popular film Bohemian Rhapsody, they were a couple for six years and friends
until the very end.
When Mercury finally became too frail to manage alone, she became one of his caretakers.
What makes that more impressive is that at the time, she was in a relationship, had a
son, and was pregnant with her second.
December 25th, 1990 was Mercury's last Christmas, which he reportedly spent with Austin and
her family.
According to Refinery 29, the love Mercury had for Austin was clear.
In fact, he left Austin his home and half of his fortune, and in the end she got $37.5
million.
The last months of Mercury's life were low-key.
His health didn't permit him to live like a king as he once used to.
Refusing to become the poster boy for AIDS, he became a social recluse.
Mercury's diagnosis may have come in 1987, but he didn't admit he was terminal to his
bandmates until 1989.
Right after they released their thirteenth album, The Miracle, Freddie invited them over
for a heart-to-heart.
According to Rolling Stone, AIDS was never mentioned, but it was clear Freddie wasn't
long for this planet, especially when he reportedly said,
"You probably realize what my problem is."
All Mercury wanted to do was go about business as usual.
Roger Taylor, Brian May, and John Deacon were shaken, but they did what Mercury asked of
them.
And so in February 1991, Mercury saw Queen's album Innuendo released to the public.
Queen later released another album once Mercury was gone, but Innuendo was the last album
that Mercury witnessed.
As he put it,
"[I want] to keep working till I f------ drop."
And so he did.
And while working on the song "The Show Must Go On," Mercury was deathly ill.
Brian May was incredibly concerned that the rocker couldn't perform the lyrics, but as
GQ Magazine explains, Mercury told his friend,
"I'll f------ do it, darling."
"No one's gonna stop me, honey."
And after some vodka, he did it in one take.
According to an interview in The Telegraph, Brian May later said that the atmosphere during
these final recordings was one of pure love.
The eighth song in the Innuendo album was "These Are the Days of Our Lives".
The song was a chart-topper, of course.
But the real reason it remains so special is that it would end up being Freddie's last
music video.
In it, Mercury is gaunt and heavily made-up, but looks a little less frail in the black-and-white
version of the song.
Sadly, his movements are a little less sure, although his fire definitely flickers at times.
The final scene of the song sees Mercury looking directly into the camera.
There's a vulnerability in his eyes, with a hint of his trademark defiance.
For fans, it's definitely a bittersweet moment, as it works as both a reminder of his passing
and a testament to his talent.
"These Are the Days of Our Lives" was released as a single in the US on September 5th, 1991,
which also happened to be Mercury's birthday.
The man had just turned 45, and the black and white video made Freddie look youthful.
But the behind-the-scenes footage which were in color showed what the disease had truly
done to him.
Speaking with People, the music video's director said that the bottom of Mercury's foot was
like, quote, "a completely open wound."
But despite the pain, Mercury remained professional until the very end.
As for the song's release date, it was a birthday treat for his American fans.
And at home, his last birthday was reportedly intimate yet lavish.
In an interview with The Daily Express, Mercury's friend Dave Clark said that the rocker celebrated
with 30 of his closest friends.
Together, they all dined on 30 different courses.
Plus, there were 30 types of wine to go with each course.
However, Jim Hutton, Mercury's long-time partner, has different memories.
According to All That's Interesting, he remembers Mercury as terribly frail on his last birthday.
This was when Hutton realized that Freddie wasn't going to be around for long, and it
nearly broke his heart.
Mercury kept his secret for quite some time, but on November 22nd, 1991, the rocker had
a change of heart.
According to a Guardian report, Mercury released a press statement that said,
"Following enormous conjecture in the press, I wish to confirm that I have been tested
HIV positive and have AIDS."
The statement said he had wished to keep this information private to protect the privacy
of his family and friends.
It also read that he felt it was time for the truth to come out and for the fight against
this disease to carry on.
However, according to The Daily Beast, Jim Hutton doesn't actually believe this was Mercury's
doing, because by this point, he was too far gone.
Hutton explained,
"He couldn't have done.
He wasn't capable.
His manager, Jim Beach, released it.
I don't think he would have wanted it.
He wanted his private life kept private."
Either way, the papers carried Freddie's declaration on Saturday, November 23rd, 1991.
Sadly, the next day, on November 24th, Mercury was gone.
"I just want them to have a carnival every time they listen to my songs, you know."