As the leader singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury was one of the greatest frontmen in the history
of rock music. Many of Mercury's friends stood by his side in his final days. Here are their
last memories.
Elton John might have understood the pressures that Freddie Mercury faced at his zenith better
than any other musician. Both were gay British rock stars that were equal parts flamboyant
showmen and critically acclaimed singers/songwriters who reached their peaks in the 1970s and 80s.
They formed a close friendship during this time. At the end of Mercury's life, John,
who lived near Mercury's home, stayed close to his friend/fellow musician till the end
of his life.
In an interview while promoting his autobiography, John spoke about seeing Mercury during his
final days. The singer had this to say about Mercury's state during his final weeks:
"AIDS was terrifying. He was physically terrifying to look at."
John also commented on his friend indulging in hobbies while suffering from AIDS, telling
an interviewer:
"Freddie loved collecting Japanese art and collecting it at auction. So while he was
dying he was still buying things at auction."
In one last act of charity, John revealed that Mercury, who died of AIDS-complicated
pneumonia in November 1991, had sent him a Christmas gift. Mercury gave the "Rocket Man"
singer a painting by British painter Henry Scott Tuke, which was one of John's favorite
artists. Upon receiving the painting from his friend, John broke down crying.
Queen's drummer and backing vocalist Roger Taylor told BBC Radio in 2020 that he believed
that the band would still be around if not for Freddie Mercury's death. Taylor said to
the BBC,
"[Freddie Mercury] was my closest friend and we were very, very close. [...] I do believe
we would still being doing stuff together because it was a great collaboration."
Like the rest of his bandmates, Taylor continued to make music with Mercury until his final
months. Speaking to Reader's Digest, Taylor recalled not realizing the band's tour for
their album, A Kind of Magic, would be their last. The Queen drummer remembered Mercury
commenting on how he didn't wish to continue touring, but Taylor also knew Mercury enjoyed
the spotlight of concerts and cheering fans.
In an interview a week following Mercury's death, Taylor, along with Brian May, spoke
about their bandmate's last years living with the disease. He said during the last music
video they made, they were trying to support their sick friend as they and Mercury knew
that death was fast approaching. He also described Mercury as a, quote, "prisoner in his own
house" during the last 18 months of his life, as press and tabloids hounded the private
Mercury about his life and visible deterioration.
"They got all of their facts wrong, and they missed out on the point of what he was actually
like in private, which was a very shy, gentle, kind person."
Ranked the No. 26 guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone and a talented singer, Brian
May would be the headliner for most bands. But with the supersonic force of nature that
was Freddie Mercury, May found himself a nice position as the band's lead guitarist and
part-time songwriter.
As told by Ultimate Classic Rock, May recalled having dinner with Mercury in his final days
and told interviewers the full extent of the disease's effects. During the evening, Mercury
showed his friend that a large portion of his foot had to be amputated. Mercury regretted
and apologized showing him the remains of his foot, to which May consoled him and told
him he only regrets knowing how much pain he was actually in.
Shortly following Mercury's passing, new drugs began to be introduced to the market that
could delay the effects of HIV/AIDS and prolong the life of individuals suffering like his
departed friend. In an interview with the Society of Rock, May said he does not enjoy
thinking about this fact:
"He missed by just a few months. If it had been a bit later he would still have been
with us, I'm sure. You can't do 'what if,' can you? You can't go there because therein
lies madness."
May penned the only original Queen song following Mercury's death, 1997's "No One But You (Only
the Good Die Young)," which was a tribute to his fallen friend.
Bassist John Deacon is the only living member of Queen who is no longer part of the lineup.
While Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor have carried on Queen's name, Deacon retired from
music in 1997. May's tribute song to Mercury was the last recording Deacon had done of
any kind.
Deacon was seen as Mercury's opposite. While Mercury craved the spotlight, Deacon tried
his best to avoid it. Still, Deacon had a lot of influence in the band as the group's
chief financial advisor. Additionally, Mercury once said this about Deacon's influence:
"[T]he rest of the group wouldn't do anything unless John said it was alright."
Mercury's agent, Peter Freestone, said of Mercury's and Deacon's relationship,
"Freddie took John under his wing because he was the new boy [...] He wanted to protect
him."
In a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, May and Taylor admitted they had not heard much
from their old bassist, saying he is very private and retired. Taylor also said that
their former bandmate was, quote, "a little fragile."
Referred to as the "German Brigitte Bardot," Barbara Valentin became one of Europe's most
recognizable sex symbols during her life. In 1984, Freddie Mercury met Valentin in Munich,
Germany, and the two began the guise of a relationship. The pair grew very close, and
Mercury featured her in Queen's music video for "It's a Hard Life."
Valentin's daughter from a previous relationship, Minki Reichardt, said in an interview that
she believed Mercury was the true love of her mother's life. However, she also described
the relationship as somewhat volatile, with the pair arguing one moment but always finding
themselves back into each other's arms.
While Mercury had been in a long-term relationship with another woman named Mary Austin, Mercury's
long list of romantic partners were for the most part men. While friends of the couple
acknowledged there was a relationship, and the two shared a bed, they also questioned
how physical the two actually were. Valentin's friend, Elisabeth Volkmann, said that if not
for Mercury's sexuality, the pair would have probably married.
The pair was spotted in 1990 at Mercury's birthday party, 14 months before his death,
but the relationship soured shortly after. Believing she was providing rumors to German
gossip papers, Mercury ended their relationship and friendship. Valentin herself was not given
an invitation to his funeral, as Mercury's friends saw her as manipulative.
Like Barbara Valentin, Anita Dobson was an accomplished actor in Europe when she met
Freddie Mercury. Unlike the Valentin relationship that turned sour, Dobson and Mercury remained
close throughout their lives. How close? Well, Mercury introduced Dobson to her future husband,
Mercury's friend and the band's guitarist Brian May.
May and Dobson have been together since 1986, something they celebrated in a 2015 interview
on the morning program, Loose Women.
"It's your anniversary this month? Congratulations."
"It is! And they said it wouldn't last."
When they met, though, May was still married to his first wife, leading to tabloids and
paparazzi following the couple around. In October 1989, Queen released "Scandal," written
by May, which criticized the press for harassing the couple, as well as for following Mercury
who was trying to hide his body's deterioration.
Like May, Dobson remained close to Mercury in the final years and months of his life,
and was also close to Mercury's longtime girlfriend Mary Austin. Dobson today is still married
to May and has promoted the Mercury Phoenix Trust that fights HIV/AIDS worldwide.
Jim Hutton, whose relationship with Freddie Mercury was a centerpiece of the 2018 film
Bohemian Rhapsody, first met Mercury in the mid-1980s at a London Club. Mercury offered
Hutton a drink but, being in a relationship, Hutton refused the singer's flirtation. Eighteen
months later, back at the same London Club, the pair hit it off and would become partners
until Mercury's death.
According to Vanity Fair, the couple moved in together less than a year into the relationship,
though they never came out as a pair due to Mercury wishing to remain in the closet. After
a few years into the relationship, Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987 and told Hutton
he would understand if he wanted to end the relationship then and there. Hutton, as told
by Irish Central, responded by saying,
"I love you, Freddie, I'm not going anywhere."
Hutton cared for his partner for the remainder of his days. The pair wore wedding bands to
illustrate their commitment, as gay marriage was two-plus decades away from legalization.
Hutton recalled the last conversation he had with Mercury, days before his passing. The
singer wanted to look at his paintings, and the couple walked downstairs to see them.
As Freddie looked at his paintings, Hutton stayed in front of him to catch him in case
he fell.
After his death, Mercury left Hutton with £500,000 pounds, which adjusted for inflation
is more than $1 million in today's money. Hutton then moved back to Ireland. Three years
later, he would publish Mercury and Me, an autobiography about his relationship with
his ex-partner.
Paul Prenter will forever remain an important part of the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen,
for better and for worse. As told by The Sun, Prenter was Mercury's manager between 1977-86
and was lovers with Mercury for a period. However, as detailed in Bohemian Rhapsody,
his tenure with the group did not end amicably, and he sold a story to the national press
claiming that Mercury had hundreds of male lovers, two of which had died of AIDS.
The first five years of Prenter's relationship with the band was calm and without an issue.
This changed in 1982 when bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor blamed Prenter for the
poor sound on their album, Hot Space. Despite this, it was a few more years until Mercury
dismissed Prenter, who soon went to The Sun and outed Mercury and his relationship with
Jim Hutton. He also claimed that the singer had slept with hundreds of men and gave the
press private photos of Mercury.
It was also reported that Prenter met with Mercury later to ask for financial relief
after spending all the money he had made from selling his story to the press. Like Mercury,
Prenter would die in 1991 from AIDS. During the production of the 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody,
Prenter was played by Allan Leech. The actor told Metro US that May and Taylor would avoid
him on set as they still harbored anger towards their old manager.
Despite his relationship with Barbara Valentin, no other woman was as close to Freddie Mercury
as his first love, Mary Austin. The pair met in 1969 when Mercury was 24 and Austin was
19, and they remained close until the end of his life.
The couple got engaged on Christmas Day in 1973, as Mercury and Queen were a year into
their first record deal and already had a hit in the U.K. Despite his rising stardom,
Mercury never left Austin's side, even chasing after her when she tried to leave with a departing
crowd of fans following one of their shows. However, Mercury and Austin never married,
and, according to Austin, he would quickly change the subject anytime she tried to bring
up the wedding.
Eventually, the two sat down and discussed their relationship, as Mercury admitted to
himself and Austin he was gay. Even after ending the engagement, Mercury wanted Austin
to remain close to him and bought her an apartment close to where he lived. His wishes came true,
and Austin remained a fixture in his life.
When he was diagnosed with AIDS, Austin and Jim Hutton stood by his side. Austin remembered
sitting by Mercury's bed for hours nursing him when he was asleep. The singer would awake
with a smile and say, quote, "Oh it's you old faithful." After his passing, Mercury
left most of his estate to Austin, as well as his ashes to scatter.