Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury | |
|---|---|
Mercury in 1977 | |
| Born | Farrokh Bulsara 5 September 1946 |
| Died | 24 November 1991 (aged 45) Kensington, London, England |
| Cause of death | Complications from derivates HIV/AIDS |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names |
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| Education | St. Peter's School, Panchgani |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1965–1991 |
| Partners |
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| Parents |
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| Musical career | |
| Genres | Rock |
| Instruments |
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| Labels | |
| Signature | |
Farrokh Bulsara (5 September 1946[2] – 24 November 1991),[3] better known as Freddie Mercury, was a British singer, songwriter, record producer, and lead singer of the rock band Queen.[4][5][6][7] Regarded as one of the greatest singers in popular music history, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range. Mercury wrote numerous hits for Queen, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "Somebody to Love", "Don't Stop Me Now", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", and "We Are the Champions". He led a solo career while performing with Queen, and occasionally served as a producer and guest musician for other artists.
He formed Queen in 1970 with guitarist Brian May, and drummer Roger Taylor. Bass guitarist John Deacon joined in 1971. Mercury died in 1991 at age 45 due to complications from AIDS, having confirmed the day before his death that he had the disease. In 1992, Mercury was posthumously awarded the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music, and a tribute concert was held at Wembley Stadium, London. As a member of Queen, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2002, he was placed number 58 in the BBC's 2002 poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. He is consistently voted one of the greatest singers in the history of popular music.
Life and career
[change | change source]Childhood
[change | change source]Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on 5 September 1946 in Stone Town in the British protectorate of the Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania). His parents were Jer and Bomi Bulsara both of them are of Parsi origin from India. His father worked as a cashier in the British Colonial Office, a branch of the government. Mercury had a sister named Kashmira. His friends at school gave him the name "Freddie." His family then began calling him Freddie, too.
At age eight, Mercury was sent to a boarding school in India.[2] The school, St. Peters English Boarding school in Panchgani, was about 50 miles outside the city of Bombay (now called Mumbai). He began to show talent as an artist and a sportsman. At age ten, he was named the school champion of Table Tennis. When he was twelve, he received a trophy called the Junior All-rounder.
Music career, personal life, and death
[change | change source]While in school he joined a choir and began to learn to play the piano. He had a four-octave vocal range.
He was a follower of Zoroastrianism.
In 1964, Mercury moved to London with his family.[2] He studied art at Ealing Art College.[8] While in London, he became fond of Mary Austin, a woman he met through his guitarist, Brian May. They lived together for several years before and after the band became famous. They moved into a house in London nicknamed "The Court of King Freddie". Mary still lived in that house after she and Mercury broke up.
Mercury was in love with a local barber when he died. He had been with him in a relationship for six years when it was learned by the media that Mercury had AIDS, which he was tested positive for in 1987. One day after the news was broadcast, Mercury died of bronchopneumonia caused by AIDS on 24 November 1991, at the age of 45. [3]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Runtagh, Jordan (23 November 2016). "Freddie Mercury: 10 Things You Didn't Know Queen Singer Did". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Mother's fond memories of Queen star Freddie". BBC News. November 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 O'Donnell, Jim (1991). "THE END OF QUEEN: BRIAN MAY ON THE DEATH OF FREDDIE MERCURY". The Rock and Roll Journal. Archived from the original on 2010-10-26. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
- ↑ Bhatia, Shekhar (2011-10-16). "Freddie Mercury's family tell of singer's pride in his Asian heritage". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
- ↑ "I often think about Freddie Mercury's formative years in India: Rami Malek". The Week. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
- ↑ "Celebrating Freddie Mercury's Indian heritage". BBC News. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
- ↑ September 5, India Today Web Desk; September 15, 2016UPDATED; Ist, 2018 19:43. "5 things you didn't know about Freddie Mercury's Indian connect". India Today. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
{{cite web}}:|first3=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ Mark Brown, Art correspondent (19 June 2014). "Culture Art and design National Portrait Gallery From Mercury to mauve: National Portrait Gallery showcases Ealing links". The Guardian UK (US link. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help)
Other websites
[change | change source]- Queen Archives: Interviews Archived 2007-10-04 at the Wayback Machine