Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946, was a British singer and composer who rose to international prominence as the lead singer of the rock band Queen.
He was regarded as one of the best singers in rock music history, famed for his flamboyant stage attitude and four-octave vocal range. Mercury’s theatrical manner challenged rock singer traditions, shaping Queen’s aesthetic direction.
Mercury had a long-term relationship with Mary Austin, whom he met through guitarist Brian May, in the early 1970s.
Austin, who was born in Fulham, London, met Mercury when she was 19 and he was 24, a year before Queen formed. He lived in West Kensington, London, with Austin for some years. By the mid-1970s, he had initiated an affair with David Minns, an Elektra Records executive.
Freddie Mercury cause of death: What did Freddie Mercury die of?
On November 24, 1991, at his Kensington home, British musician and Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury died of bronchial pneumonia. He began exhibiting HIV/AIDS symptoms in 1982 and was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987.
Mercury announced his diagnosis the day before his death from disease complications at the age of 45. In 1992, a tribute concert to him was staged at Wembley Stadium to raise funds for AIDS awareness.
Bronchial pneumonia caused by AIDS was the cause of death. When Mercury died, his close friend Dave Clark of the Dave Clark Five was at his bedside.
Austin called Mercury’s parents and sister to deliver the news, which was picked up by newspaper and television crews in the early hours of November 25.
