freddie mercury page on biography.com

The life of Frederick Bulsara began on the East African island of Zanzibar on September 5, 1946. 25 years later in London under the name of Freddie Mercury he was fronting the now legendary rock group named Queen.

The son of Bomi and Jer Bulsara, Freddie spent the bulk of his childhood in India where he attended St. Peter’s boarding school. He began taking piano lessons at the age of seven. No one could foresee where a love of music would take him.

The Bulsara family moved to Middlesex in 1964 and from there Freddie joined up with a blues band called Wreckage while studying graphic design courses at Ealing College of Art. While singing for Wreckage, a fellow student introduced Freddie to Roger Taylor and Brian May, founder members of a band called Smile. Smile metamorphosed into Queen when Freddie joined Roger and Brian as the lead vocalist. The final member of the band, which was to stay together for the next 20 years, was bassist John Deacon, who joined the band on 1st of March 1971.

The rest is rock history. EMI Records and Elektra Records signed the band and in 1973 their debut album ‘Queen’ was released and hailed as one of the most exciting developments ever in rock music.

The immortal operatically styled single ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was released in 1975 and proceeded to the top of the UK charts for 9 weeks. A song that was nearly never released due to its length and unusual style but which Freddie insisted would be played became the instantly recognisable hit. By this time Freddie’s unique talents were becoming clear, a voice with a remarkable range and a stage presence that gave Queen its colourful, unpredictable and flamboyant personality.

Very soon Queen’s popularity extended beyond the shores of the UK as they charted and triumphed around Europe, Japan and the USA where in 1979 they topped the charts with Freddie’s song ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’.

Queen was always indisputably run as a democratic organisation. All four members are each responsible for having penned number one singles for the band. This massive writing strength combined with spectacular lights, the faultless sound, a sprinkling of theatricality and Freddie’s balletic movements made up Queen on stage and on film.

Through Freddie’s ability to project himself and the band’s music and image to the four corners of 70,000 seater venues they became known as the prime developers of stadium rock, a reputation perpetuated by their pioneering tactics in South America where in 1981 they performed to 231,000 fans in Sao Paulo, a world record at the time. They also became known as the key innovators of pop videos as their catalogue of 3-minute clips became more and more adventurous in style, size and content.

Their phenomenal success continued around the globe throughout the 80’s highlighted in 1985 by their show-stealing and unforgettable performance on stage at Live Aid.

In the mid 80’s, Freddie started concentrating on his solo career, which was to run in tandem with Queen (“the mothership”) for several albums commencing with the 1985 release of ‘Mr. Bad Guy’. Freddie’s much loved sense of self-parody reached a zenith with his cover version of The Platter’s song ‘The Great Pretender’ in 1987, the video of which recorded him descending a sweeping staircase among acres of identical cardboard cutouts of himself.

His first major collaboration outside Queen was with Dave Clark for the recording of London’s West End musical Time, in 1986. This was followed in 1987 with the realisation of one of Freddie’s long-term dreams; to record with the world revered opera diva Montserrat Caballé. The LP’s title song, ‘Barcelona’ went on to become an anthem for Señora Caballé’s home city and the theme for the Olympics in 1992.

While most publicly recognised as the front man to one of the most progressive rock bands of the 70’s, Freddie defied the stereotype. A taste for venturing into new territories – a trait that was to have a marked influence on the direction Queen would take – took Freddie to explore his interests in a wide spectrum of the arts, particularly in the areas of ballet, opera and theatre, even taking a participating role: in October1977 the sell-out audience of a charity gala at the London Coliseum organised by Royal Ballet Principal dance Wayne Eagling received the surprise of an unannounced appearance by a silver-sequinned leotard-clad Freddie performing an intricate routine choreographed for him by Eagling. In 1987 he made a one-night appearance in Dave Clarke’s Time at the Dominion Theatre, although legend has it Freddie occasionally turned up at the theatre to support friend Clarke’s musical, one night selling ice-creams in the stalls! Freddie would have loved the fact that The Dominion now plays host to the band’s phenomenally successful musical We Will Rock You which has now held the Dominion stage nearly seven years longer than Time’s two year run.

Freddie returned to the studios to record ‘Innuendo’ with Queen in 1990.

On November 24th, 1991, Freddie’s struggle against AIDS ended when he passed away just over 24 hours after he had publicly announced he had the disease. Musicians and fans from all over the world paid their highest respects as the passing of rock’s most innovative, flamboyant ambassador signified the end of an era at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium on April 20, 1992 which gave birth to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the AIDS charity set up in Freddie’s memory by the remaining members of Queen and Freddie’s Executor, Jim Beach.

Freddie Mercury, who majored in stardom while giving new meaning to the word showmanship, left a legacy of songs, which will never lose their stature as classics to live on forever. Some of the most poignant of these were immortalised on the Queen album ‘Made In Heaven’ released in November 1995. The sleeve of the album shows a view from Freddie’s Montreux home.

Despite twenty years having passed since Freddie lost his life to HIV complications, he remains in the minds of millions throughout the world as one of the greatest artists we will ever see. In September 2010 (coincidentally, around Freddie's 64th birthday) a poll carried out among rock fans saw him named the Greatest Rock Legend Of All Time, beating Elvis Presley to claim the title, and ahead of David Bowie, Jon Bon Jovi, Jimi Hendrix and Ozzy Osbourne.

September 5, 2010 saw The Mercury Phoenix Trust launch ‘Freddie For A Day’, a major annual initiative designed to celebrate Freddie’s life each year on his birthday and to support the on-going work of the Trust. The project encourages fans to dress as Freddie for a day and in doing so raise funds for MPT through sponsorship. No one could have imagined the extraordinary response which resulted, with fans from 24 countries around the world, from Argentina to Ukraine, seizing on the idea to pay their own special tribute to Freddie.

Some sent pictures strutting their stuff at home, singing into a microphone in their bedroom. Others took the plunge and spent the whole day as Freddie, including one US enthusiast who dressed herself as ‘Slightly Mad’ Freddie and then spent her day at the local mall and then at Columbus Zoo in Ohio with a penguin and a gorilla. Another took a TGV trip from France to Switzerland dressed in a harlequin leotard. The stories of extraordinary and fun days spent come in their hundreds, and as a result, Freddie For A Day is now an annual event.

Taking it one stage further, Freddie’s 65th birthday, September 5, 2011 was celebrated with a major party in London in aid of The Mercury Phoenix Trust, hosted by Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor.

A major Hollywood movie about Freddie and Queen, produced by GK Films, Robert de Niro’s Tribeca Productions and Queen Films is expected to start shooting shortly.

Freddie Mercury would have been 70 this September and as part of the celebrations a Mercury Phoenix Trust produced fan party will be held in his honour near Lake Geneva, Montreux.

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What was Freddie Mercury’s education? 

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Freddie Mercury

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Freddie Mercury attended boarding school in Panchgani, Maharashtra , India , where he took piano lessons. After immigrating to England , he studied graphic art and design at Ealing Technical College and School of Art, earning a degree in 1969. While there, he met Brian May and Roger Taylor of the band that would later become Queen .

How did Freddie Mercury become famous?

Known for his spectacular voice and flamboyant stage persona, Freddie Mercury became internationally known as the lead singer of Queen with the release of the successful 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack . A Night at the Opera (1975), featuring the song “Bohemian Rhapsody,” made him a star. 

What is Freddie Mercury best known for?

Freddie Mercury was the chief songwriter as well as vocalist for Queen . His best-known songs included “Bohemian Rhapsody,” ”Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love,” “We Are the Champions,” “We Will Rock You,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and “Another One Bites the Dust.”

How did Freddie Mercury die?

Freddie Mercury was reportedly diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. He publicly announced that he had AIDS the day before he died of complications related to the disease.

Freddie Mercury (born September 5, 1946, Stone Town, Zanzibar [now in Tanzania]—died November 24, 1991, Kensington, London, England) was a British rock singer and songwriter whose flamboyant showmanship and powerfully agile vocals, most famously for the band Queen , made him one of rock ’s most dynamic front men.

Bulsara was born to Parsi parents who had emigrated from India to Zanzibar , where his father worked as a clerk for the British government. As a child, Bulsara was sent to a boarding school in Panchgani, Maharashtra state, India. Artistically inclined from an early age, he formed a band there in which he played the piano . When Zanzibar became part of the independent country of Tanzania in 1964, Bulsara moved with his family to Feltham, England . He later studied graphic art and design at Ealing Technical College and School of Art (now part of the University of West London), graduating in 1969.

Influenced by the hard-edged blues -based style of rock acts such as Cream and Jimi Hendrix , Bulsara began singing with bands in London . He also became friends with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor of the band Smile, and in 1970, when Smile’s lead singer quit, Bulsara replaced him. He soon changed the group’s name to Queen and his own to Freddie Mercury. Bassist John Deacon joined the following year. Incorporating elements of both heavy metal and glam rock , the band debuted on record with Queen (1973), which was followed by Queen II (1974).

Despite an impressive blend of majestic vocal harmonies and layered virtuosic guitar work, Queen initially failed to attract much notice beyond the United Kingdom . The album Sheer Heart Attack (1974), however, shot up the international charts, and A Night at the Opera (1975) sold even better. The band’s ambitious approach to both songwriting and studio production was epitomized by the latter album’s mock-operatic single “ Bohemian Rhapsody ,” one of a number of Queen compositions written principally by Mercury. The song spent nine weeks atop the British singles chart, and its accompanying promotional film helped the music industry recognize its future in video. Spectacular success followed in 1977 with “ We Are the Champions ” and “ We Will Rock You ”—which became ubiquitous anthems at sporting events in Britain and the United States .

(Read Britannica’s essay “9 (Lives of) Famous Cat Lovers.”)

By the early 1980s Queen had become an international phenomenon, drawing particular attention for its elaborately staged performances in enormous venues . Strutting the stage in outrageous costumes, Mercury effortlessly commanded audiences in the tens of thousands. Although Queen’s commercial fortunes had begun to wane by mid-decade, the band arguably reached its apotheosis as a live act with a stellar performance at the charity concert Live Aid in 1985. That same year Mercury released the solo record Mr. Bad Guy , which took musical inspiration from disco . Mercury later appeared on the sound track of Dave Clark’s science-fiction musical Time (1986) and teamed with Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé for the semi-operatic album Barcelona (1988).

In 1991 Mercury announced that he had been diagnosed with AIDS . He died a day later from complications related to the disease. Until shortly before his death, Mercury had continued to record with Queen, and he was posthumously featured on the band’s final album, Made in Heaven (1995). His time with Queen was dramatized in the blockbuster film Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). Although Rami Malek won an Academy Award for his performance as Mercury in the movie, Bohemian Rhapsody was criticized for its sanitized presentation of Mercury’s complicated life, particularly his sexual fluidity.

Freddie Mercury

• Born September 5 , 1946 · Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania
• Died November 24 , 1991 · Kensington, London, England, UK (bronchopneumonia)
• Birth name Farrokh Bomi Bulsara
• Height 5′ 9¾″ (1.77 m)
• Freddie Mercury was born on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar. His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, sent him off to a private school in India, from 1955 til 1963. In 1964, he and his family flew to England. In 1966 he started his education at the Ealing College of Art, where he graduated in 1969. He loved art, and because of that, he often went along with his friend Tim Staffell, who played in a band called Smile. Also in this band where Brian May and Roger Taylor . When Staffell left the band in 1970, Mercury became their new singer. He changed the band's name into Queen , and they took on a new bass-player in February 1971, called John Deacon . Their first album, "Queen", came out in 1973. But their real breakthrough was "Killer Queen", on the album "Sheer Heart Attack", which was released in 1974. They became immortal with the single "Bohemian Rhapsody", on the 1975 album "A Night At The Opera". After their biggest hit in the USA in 1980 with "Another One Bites The Dust", they had a bad period. Their album "Flash Gordon" went down the drain, because the movie Flash Gordon (1980) flunked. Their next, the disco-oriented "Hot Space", was hated not only by rock critics but also by many hardcore fans. Only the song "Under Pressure", which they sang together with David Bowie , made a difference. In 1983, they took a year off. But, in 1984 they came back with their new album called "The Works". The singles "Radio Ga Ga" and "I Want to Break Free" did very well in the UK but a controversy over the video of the latter in the USA meant it got little exposure and flopped. Plans to tour the USA were cancelled and the band would not recover their popularity there during Mercury's lifetime. In April 1985, Mercury released his first solo album, the less rock-oriented and more dance-oriented "Mr. Bad Guy". The album is often considered now to have been a flop, but it actually wasn't. It peaked at number six in the UK and stayed on the chart for 23 weeks, making it the most successful Queen solo project. The band got back together again after their barnstorming performance at Live Aid (1985) in July 1985. At the end of the year, they started working on their new album, "A Kind Of Magic". They also held their biggest ever world tour, the "Magic Tour". They played Wembley Stadium twice and held their very last concert in Knebworth, in front of 125.000 people. After 1986, it went silent around Queen. In 1987, he was diagnosed with AIDS but he kept working at a pace. He released a cover of the 1950s song "The Great Pretender", which went into the UK top ten. After that, he flew to Spain, where he made the magnificent album "Barcelona", together with Montserrat Caballé , whom he saw performing in 1983. Because Mercury loved opera, he became a huge fan of her. For him, this album was like a dream becoming reality. The single "Barcelona" went huge, and was also used as a theme song for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. After "Barcelona", he started working with the band again. They made "The Miracle", which was released in early 1989. It was another success, with hits such as "Breakthru", "I Want It All", "The Invisible Man" and the title track. At this point, Mercury told the band he had AIDS, meaning that a tour of the album was out of the question. After Mercury told the band, he refused to talk about it anymore. He was afraid that people would buy their records out of pity. He said he wanted to keep making music as long as possible. And he did. After "The Miracle", Mercury's health got worse. They wanted to do one more album, called "Innuendo." They worked on it in 1990 and early 1991. Every time when Mercury would feel well, he came over to the studio and sang. After "Innuendo" was released in January 1991, they made two video clips. The first one was the video clip of "I'm Going Slightly Mad", shot in March 1991. Because Mercury was very thin, and had little wounds all over his body, they used a lot of make-up. He wore a wig, and the clip was shot in black and white. Mercury's final video clip was released in June 1991. The clip, "These Are The Days Of Our Lives", later turned out to be his goodbye song, the last time he appeared on film. You could clearly see he was ill, but he still hadn't told the world about his disease. Rumours went around that he some kind of terrible disease. This rumor was confirmed by Mercury himself, one day before he passed on. His death was seen as a great loss for the world of popular music. - IMDb Mini Biography By: [email protected]
• Children No Children
• Parents Jer Bulsara Bomi Bulsara
• Relatives Kashmira Cooke (Sibling) Kashmira Cooke (Sibling)
• Sings with the top half of microphone stand
• Loved to do a vocal duet with the crowd, especially before "Under Pressure"
• Placing microphone under his belt
• Wide-ranging, multi-octave, powerful pseudo-operatic vocals
• He used a piano as a headboard for his bed and taught himself to play the piano backwards so if a song idea popped into his head when lying in bed, he could reach backwards and play it or record it.
• He had a vocal range of 4 octaves.
• Queen 's performance at Live Aid (1985) was voted the "World's Greatest Concert" in a 2005 poll for Channel 4 in the U.K. The historic gig fought off competition from Jimi Hendrix 's 1969 Woodstock show in second place and Sex Pistols ' raucous show at the Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1976.
• He wrote the Queen song "Love of my Life" about Mary Austin .
• He penned the hits "Killer Queen", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Somebody To Love", and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". He wrote "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" in the bathtub.
• If I didn't do this well, I just wouldn't have anything to do...I can't cook, and I'd be a terrible housewife.
• I'm just a musical prostitute my dear
• The bigger the better; in everything.
• Years ago, I thought up the name Queen...It's just a name, but it's very regal obviously, and it sounds splendid...It's a strong name, very universal and immediate. It had a lot of visual potential and was open to all sorts of interpretations. I was certainly aware of the gay connotations, but that was just one facet of it.
• [speaking in 1974] I am as gay as a daffodil.

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Farokh "Freddie" Mercury ( September 5, 1946 - November 24, 1991) was one of the most acclaimed rock vocalists of all time with the rock group Queen . He also wrote some of the group's biggest hits. He was one of the highest profile victims of the AIDS epidemic.

Freddie Mercury was born Farokh Bulsara on the island of Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania, when it was a British protectorate. His parents were Parsis from India and, along with his extended family, were adherents of the Zoroastrian religion.

Mercury spent much of his childhood in India and began learning to play the piano at age seven. When he was eight years old, he was sent to a British boarding school near Bombay (now Mumbai). When he was twelve years old, Freddie formed his first band, The Hectics. They covered rock and roll songs by artists like Cliff Richard and Chuck Berry .

Following the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution in which many ethnic Arabs and Indians were killed, Freddie's family fled to England. There he entered art college and began a serious pursuit of his musical interests.

Personal Life

Freddie Mercury kept his personal life out of the public spotlight during his lifetime. Many of the details about his relationships emerged after his death. In the early 1970s, he began arguably the most important and enduring relationship of his life. He met Mary Austin and they lived together as a romantic couple until December 1976 when Mercury told her about his attraction to and relationships with men. He moved out, bought Mary Austin her own home, and they remained very close friends for the rest of his life. Of her, he told People magazine, "To me, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that's enough for me."

Freddie Mercury never mentioned his sexual orientation when he rarely spoke to the press, but many associates believed it was far from hidden. His performances were very flamboyant on stage, but he was known as an introvert when not performing.

In 1985, Mercury began a long-term relationship with hairdresser Jim Hutton. They lived together for the last six years of Freddie Mercury's life and Hutton tested positive for HIV a year before the star's death. He was at Freddie's bedside when he died. Jim Hutton lived on until 2010.

Career With Queen

In April 1970, Freddie Bulsara officially became Freddie Mercury. He began performing music with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor who were previously in a band named Smile. The next year, bass player John Deacon joined them and Mercury chose the name Queen for the new band against the reservations of his fellow band members and management. He also designed for the group, which incorporated symbols for the zodiac signs of all four group members into a crest.

In 1973 Queen signed a recording contract with EMI Records. They released their self-titled first album in July, and it was heavily influenced by the heavy metal of Led Zeppelin and progressive rock by groups like Yes . The album was well-received by critics, broke into album charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and was eventually certified gold for sales in both the U.S. and U.K.

With their second album Queen II , released in 1974, the group began a string of fourteen consecutive top 10 charting studio albums at home in the U.K. The streak continued through their final studio release, 1995's Made In Heaven .

Commercial success came a little more slowly in the U.S., but the group's fourth album A Night at the Opera hit the top 10 and was certified platinum on the strength of the legendary hit "Bohemian Rhapsody," a mini-opera wrapped in a six-minute rock song. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is often listed as one of the greatest rock songs of all time.

The peak of Queen's pop success in the U.S. took place in 1980 with the #1 charting album The Game, featuring two #1 pop hit singles "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites the Dust." It was the final top 10 album in the U.S. for the group, and Queen failed to reach the pop top 10 again with later studio singles. 

In February 1990, Freddie Mercury made his final public appearance with Queen to accept the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. A year later they released the studio album Innuendo . It was followed by Greatest Hits II released less than a month before Mercury's death.

Solo Career

Many fans of Queen in the U.S. are unaware of Freddie Mercury's career as a solo artist. None of his singles were significant hits in the U.S., but he had a string of six top 10 pop hits in the U.K.

The first Freddie Mercury solo single "I Can Hear Music" was released in 1973, but he didn't approach solo work with serious dedication until the release of the album Mr. Bad Guy in 1985. It debuted in the top 10 on the U.K. album chart and received strongly positive critical reviews. The style of the music is influenced heavily by disco in contrast to the majority of Queen's music being rock. He recorded a duet with Michael Jackson that was not included on the album. A remix of the album's song "Living On My Own" became a posthumous #1 pop hit in the U.K.

Between albums, Freddie Mercury released a series of singles including a cover of the Platters' classic "The Great Pretender," a top five pop smash in the U.K. Mercury's second solo album Barcelona was released in 1988. It was recorded with Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballe and combines pop music with opera. The title track was used as an official song for the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain a year after Freddie's death. Montserrat Caballe performed it live at the opening of the Olympics with Mercury joining her on a video screen.

By 1990, despite denials, Mercury's low public profile and gaunt image fueled rumors about his health. He was visibly weakened when Queen accepted their Outstanding Contribution to Music honor at the Brit Awards in February 1990.

Rumors that Freddie Mercury was ill with AIDS spread throughout early 1991, but his colleagues denied the truth in the stories. After Mercury's death, his bandmate Brian May revealed that the group knew of the AIDS diagnosis long before it became public knowledge.

Freddie Mercury's final appearance in front of a camera was the Queen music video "These Are the Days Of Our Lives" filmed in May 1991. In June, he chose to retire to his home in west London. On November 22, 1991, Mercury released a public statement through Queen's management that, in part, said, "I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS." Just over 24 hours later on November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury died at age 45.

Freddie Mercury's singing voice has been celebrated as a unique instrument in the annals of rock music history. Although his natural voice was in the baritone range, he often performed notes in the tenor range. His recorded vocals extended from low bass to high soprano. The Who's lead vocalist Roger Daltrey told an interviewer that Freddie Mercury was, "the best virtuoso rock 'n' roll singer of all time. He could sing anything in any style."

Freddie also left behind a catalog of phenomenal hits in a range of musical styles, including "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," "We Are the Champions," and "Somebody To Love" among many others. 

Extravagantly theatrical live performances endeared Freddie Mercury to live concert fans around the world. He influenced generations of rock performers with his ability to connect directly with an audience. His performances leading Queen at Live Aid in 1985 are considered to be among the top live rock performances of all time.

Freddie Mercury stayed silent about AIDs and his own sexual orientation until just before his death. His intention was to protect those close to him in an era in which AIDS carried a heavy social stigma for its victims and their inner circle of friends and acquaintances, but his silence has also complicated his status as a gay icon. Regardless, Mercury's life and music will be celebrated for years to come, both in the gay community and in rock history at large. 

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The Best Freddie Mercury Biographies: Three Must-Reads About The King of Queen

By Joshua Kanter

Joshua Kanter

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

After Bohemian Rhapsody , 2018’s blockbuster Freddie Mercury biopic, there was a surge of renewed interest in Queen and its charismatic frontman. Younger fans began discovering the group  – digging out their parents’ dusty LPs, launching the title track to over a billion streams on Spotify, and even making viral YouTube reaction videos of their first time hearing Mercury’s magnum opus.

Older fans were reinvigorated too, revisiting the albums of their youth, reminiscing about seeing the band live (those who were lucky enough to), and seeking to learn more about Mercury with all the newly available information regarding the theatrical but notoriously private singer.

Both groups will discover something new in these Freddie Mercury biographies, which offer three completely different perspectives of Mercury’s incredible life. 

The first book is from his partner, Jim Hutton, who gives a wistful retelling of his time with Mercury right up until the end. The two had a complicated relationship – intimate and close in private, yet Mercury always kept a distance from Hutton while in the eye of the public and the relentless British tabloids, at a time when being openly gay was not yet widely accepted (homosexuality had only been decriminalized in the UK less than a decade earlier). Though their relationship was rocky at times, Hutton loved and cared for Mercury, was by his side when he died, and offers a fly-on-the-wall observation of his life and a heartbreaking account of his final days. 

Another, a collection of quotes and interviews from Mercury himself, paints a picture with verbal pieces. Freddie’s quotes, quips and insights fuel the timeline along, creating a look at his life through his own thoughts and observations.

Finally, Somebody to Love delves deep into the history of HIV/ AIDS , eventually incorporating Mercury into the disease’s trajectory, and telling the story of his final years battling the virus that eventually took his life in 1991.

All three are must-reads for any fans of Freddie looking to learn all they can about the singer’s life offstage and behind closed doors. 

1. Mercury and Me

For those more interested in a glimpse beyond the glitz, Jim Hutton’s book provides a unique perspective of Freddie Mercury in his final years.

Hutton, Mercury’s partner and close friend from 1985 to 1991, was also his caretaker and confidant (and gardener as well, for a time), and offers an accurate and intimate account of the singer’s life and death. The book is almost an epilogue of sorts to the Bohemian Rhapsody film, which ends before the majority of these years take place.  

Hutton, who died in 2010, gives insight into the Freddie that he knew –  the tumultuous ups and downs and everything in between. He wasn’t in the spotlight, and maybe even preferred it that way, but he was alongside Mercury for the ride, and gives what often times feels like a fly-on-the-wall narrative of the singer’s life that was hidden from the public eye. 

The book does touch upon the musical side of things briefly, mentioning what Mercury was working on in his last years, his devoted work ethic right up until the end, and which songs and artists were most inspirational to him. But mainly the focus here is the relationship between the two.  

PROS:  Hutton’s book offers a one-of-a-kind window into Mercury’s life that won’t be found anywhere else. Hardcore Mercury fans that want to learn as much as possible about the legend’s life will enjoy this. The paperback also includes color photos as well. 

CONS:   Readers looking specifically for Mercury’s life story, or behind-the-scenes rockstar tales about him and Queen, may want to sit this one out. The main focus is the deep, rocky and complicated relationship Hutton and Mercury shared until the end. While some users appreciate Hutton’s storytelling of the memories shared with Mercury, others find the writing style to be dull and uninteresting. There’s also controversy among readers about the book itself, and if these intensely personal and private moments of Mercury’s life really needed to be shared publicly. 

Buy Mercury and Me

2. A Life In His Own Words by Freddie Mercury

The title may be a bit misleading here – yes, it’s his own words, but this is more a collection of quotes and interviews than a true autobiography. Still, Mercury didn’t give many in-depth interviews in his life, and this book acts as a nice collection of his humor, wit, and insight into his creative process. 

While most quotes are about music and the business, there are poignant ones that break the mold regarding friendship, societal problems, personal thoughts, and heartbreaking reflections on his own mortality. 

Though it’s not in the format of a traditional autobiography, A Life in his Own Words gives the reader the most intimate one-on-one feel with Mercury, almost as if he’s speaking directly to you.   

PROS: True Queen fans will love this one. Even if they’ve already watched the interviews quoted here, having them in one collection gives a look at Mercury’s legacy from the inside out. The forward is also written by Freddie’s mother, Jer Bulsara, giving it an even more special and bittersweet tone. 

CONS:   The book doesn’t really provide a narrative or a timeline, which can be confusing to new fans. There’s also not much context into where Mercury was in his life with each quote, or the situations he’s referring to when he said these things, which makes his words less impactful to the average reader and casual Queen fan.

Buy A Life In His Own Words by Freddie…

3. Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury

Somebody to Love , a well-researched collaboration by Mark Langthorne and Matt Richards, two entertainment industry veterans, is wholly unafraid to show Mercury from all sides. A rock legend living a lifestyle of excess, the choices he made along with their consequences, and being one of the first victims of AIDS in the early days of the epidemic. 

The narrative provides a parallel and intersecting storyline about the history of HIV/AIDS, dating all the way back to the early 1900s in Africa, and chronicling the devastation the LGBTQ community went through in the Seventies and Eighties. There’s a heavy focus on Mercury’s promiscuity here, and his sexuality in general. At times it’s relevant, such as the difficulty of coming out in an era before being gay was widely accepted, but can also get lost in the extremely uncensored details and detract from the main storylines.

The book could be a standalone epidemiological study about the history of HIV/AIDS even without Mercury. But eventually, it weaves him into the timeline, giving a detailed account of his personal life, and his battle with the disease that tragically took him at age 45 in 1991. The result is a powerfully emotional read.

PROS: Fans of Mercury who are already well-versed in the legend’s life will learn something new here, providing a new lens into his life and death.  

CONS: Mercury’s personal life and the history of the HIV/AIDS virus are the main subject matter here, and fans looking for stories about Queen may be disappointed here. While the book does give some attention to the band’s music, it’s mostly their mega-hits, without much insight into the lesser-known fan favorites. 

Buy Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and… $10.25

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Freddie Mercury’s Most Iconic Moments: 10 Photos of the Singer's Rock and Roll Legacy

With hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Somebody To Love,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” — the list goes on — Queen’s music is still popular decades after the band’s final performance in 1986. His music aside, Mercury’s personal moments and performances also made a huge impact in the arts and culture space.

From his deep, loving relationship with his best friend and inspiration, Mary Austin , and his battle with AIDs, to his ballet-inspired, gender-bending outfits, Mercury followed his own bold path.

More on Freddie Mercury:

Meet Mary Austin, The Woman Who Stole Freddie Mercury's Heart

The Complicated Nature of Freddie Mercury's Sexuality

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Freddie Mercury

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(1946–91). British rock singer and songwriter Freddie Mercury was part of the band Queen . He was a flamboyant showman and became one of rock’s most dynamic performers.

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946, in Stone Town, Zanzibar. His parents had emigrated from India to Zanzibar . In Zanzibar his father worked as a clerk for the British government. As a child, Bulsara was sent to a boarding school in India. At an early age he formed a band in which he played the piano. When Zanzibar became part of the independent country of Tanzania in 1964, Bulsara moved with his family to Feltham, England. He later studied graphic art and design at Ealing Technical College and School of Art (now part of the University of West London). He graduated from there in 1969.

In the 1960s Bulsara began singing with bands in London, England. He also became friends with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor of the band Smile. In 1970, when Smile’s lead singer quit, Bulsara replaced him. He soon changed the group’s name to Queen and his own to Freddie Mercury. Bassist John Deacon joined the band the following year.

Queen incorporated elements of both heavy metal and glam rock. Their debut record was called Queen (1973). They released Queen II (1974) the next year. Queen initially failed to attract much notice beyond the United Kingdom. The album Sheer Heart Attack (1974), however, shot up the international charts. A Night at the Opera (1975) sold even better. It featured the mock-operatic single “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Mercury was the main writer of the single, as well as many other songs. “Bohemian Rhapsody” spent nine weeks atop the British singles chart. Spectacular success followed in 1977 with “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You.” Both songs became anthems at sporting events in Britain and the United States.

By the early 1980s Queen had become an international success. The group was particularly known for elaborately staged performances in enormous venues. Mercury strutted the stage in outrageous costumes, effortlessly entertaining large audiences. However, by mid-decade Queen’s commercial success had begun to decline. The band reenergized their career with a live performance at the charity concert Live Aid in 1985. That same year Mercury released the solo record Mr. Bad Guy . Mercury later appeared on the sound track of English musician Dave Clark’s science-fiction musical Time (1986). He also teamed with Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé for the semi-operatic album Barcelona (1988). At the same time, Queen released such albums as A Kind of Magic (1986), The Miracle (1989), and Innuendo (1991).

In 1991 Mercury announced that he had been diagnosed with AIDS . He died on November 24, 1991, in Kensington, London, England, from complications related to the disease. Mercury was posthumously featured on the band’s final album, Made in Heaven (1995). The movie Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) portrayed the rise of Mercury and Queen, with Rami Malek starring as Mercury.

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Best Freddie Mercury books 2024: Dive into the life and music of the Queen icon

We take a look through a selection of publications documenting the life and times of much-missed Queen frontman Freddie Mercury

Searching for the best Freddie Mercury books on the market throws up the same issues that seem to surround every globally famous rock star – there are almost too many to choose from.

As you would imagine, some exploring the late Queen frontman’s life are worthwhile reads, others less so, but most of them offer something for fans to get their teeth into, be it a hitherto unknown factoid or a new image of the great man strutting his considerable stuff. 

And following the massive success of the Mercury and Queen film Bohemian Rhapsody – which became the biggest music biopic of all time and scooped an incredible  four Oscars ,  two Golden Globes  and  two BAFTAS – the spotlight has once again fallen on the vocalist's life and career.

We’ve done some extensive reading in order to uncover a number of books about Freddie Mercury that will not only cater for seasoned Queen veterans, but will give newcomers to the band an insight into one of rock's greatest ever frontmen.

Best Freddie Mercury books: Our picks

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

1. Freddie Mercury: A Life, In His Own Words by Freddie Mercury

An absorbing read which was compiled by Queen archivist Greg Brooks and film producer Simon Lupton. The book comprises narrative transcripts of interviews that Mercury gave to both print media along with TV and radio, and is set out in a number of chapters that broadly follow the chronology of the singer's legendary career.

Originally published in 2006, the 2019 revised edition of Freddie Mercury: A Life, In His Own Words features text taken from a number of interviews that were unearthed from Queen’s expansive archive that hadn't previously made it into the public eye.  The book includes a heartfelt preface from Mercury's mother Jer Bulsara which adds to the intimacy of the project. 

For a man famously wary of the press, there are some lovely insights to be found here.

2. Freddie Mercury: The Biography by Laura Jackson

Also responsible for the patchy Queen & I , the ‘definitive biography’ of guitarist Brian May, rock biographer Laura Jackson rolls up her sleeves and gets stuck into her task with gusto here. When compared to other books featured, Jackson refreshingly avoids shining a light into the darker and more sordid corners of Mercury’s life, content instead to stick with descriptions of the familiar path of his journey from the small African island of Zanzibar to the stadia of the world.

Freddie Mercury: The Biography is well written and competently-researched, and while it’s unlikely to tell the reader anything radically new about Mercury's life, it's enjoyable nonetheless – especially if you’re after something lighter in tone.

3. Somebody To Love: The Life, Death And Legacy Of Freddie Mercury - by Matt Richards & Mark Langthorne

This excellent book from two highly experienced authors focuses more closely on the horrors of AIDS than many of the other publications on this list and, as such, is a timely reminder of just how terrible the disease is. 

This approach to Mercury’s life and career is fascinating and although much of the band-related info here will be familiar to fans, the fact that the spectre of HIV and AIDS lurks throughout makes for a sobering read. It’s the antithesis to the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic that has been accused of glossing over this part of Mercury's life and, as such, is definitely worth getting hold of.

4. Bohemian Rhapsody: The Definitive Biography of Freddie Mercury by Lesley-Ann Jones

Enjoyment of this controversial book will depend on whether you can stomach Jones’ self-reverential ‘I was there!’ style of writing. Queen guitarist Brian May has publicly disputed her supposed closeness to his former bandmate - most recently on his Instagram page back in 2019 - but the breadth of the contributions Jones has assembled does lend the familiar content some depth. 

The trial of ploughing through pages detailing her boozy experiences as a rock journalist in the 80s is more than balanced by her eminently readable prose, with the chapters concentrating on Mercury’s early life especially absorbing. Definitive? Hardly, but one to check out nonetheless.

• Our guide to the best Queen albums
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5. Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender, a Life in Pictures by Sean O’Hagan & Richard Gray

This sizeable coffee table book features the musings of respected writer Sean O’Hagan and is sprinkled with images selected by Richard Gray, who oversees Queen’s mammoth picture archive – and we’d suggest that if you’re only going to buy one book on the list, it’s probably this one.

The foreword has been written by Rami Malek, who portrayed Mercury in the smash hit Bohemian Rhapsody biopic – and it's a nice touch. However, even his charms are eclipsed by the slew of baby pictures from the Bulsara family’s days in Zanzibar and, as you turn the pages you find some new images alongside a number that are much more familiar. 

It’ll be Mercury's early life that will attract the most attention, but the whole package is thoroughly engrossing.

6. Mercury and Me: An Intimate Memoir by the Man Freddie Loved by Jim Hutton & Tim Wapshott

The success of the Bohemian Rhapsody film has led to Jim Hutton being painted as something of a baddie in the story of Queen and interest in this undeniably one-sided memoir has certainly rekindled. To be fair though, Mary Austin aside, he was probably as close to a significant other as Mercury ever got, as the book goes to great pains to regularly point out.

Written partly as a cathartic exercise for Hutton, the details contained within are intimate, especially the passages concerning Mercury’s final days, and the 50 or so intensely personal images also included do shed some additional light on their relationship. Definitely worth a look.

7. Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man Who Knew Him Best by Peter Freestone

Peter Freestone was Mercury’s personal assistant between 1980 and 1991, and there’s little doubt that this access to the band’s inner sanctum has given him some telling insights – a number of which are recounted here. It’s utterly fascinating to read about the day-to-day workings of a band of Queen's stature on the road.

The harrowing description of the great man’s very final moments may well be deemed unnecessarily ghoulish, but it’s plain that the two felt a great deal of affection for each other. In addition, if Grand Design-style descriptions of the décor of Freddie’s homes are of any interest, then this is the book for you.

8. Freddie Mercury in New York: Don’t Stop Us Now! by Thor Arnold & Lee Nolan

A personal account of Mercury’s reinvention and his embroilment in New York's gay scene, marked in public by the appearance of the hated/loved moustache in the video for 1980’s Play The Game single. Thor Arnold and Lee Nolan were part of a group that took Mercury under its wing to show him the ropes, as it were, and the resultant book contains convivial tales of the singer enjoying life away from the spotlight.

Also included are some never-before-seen images taken by Nolan at the time and selective though the audience for such a book may seem, it opens the door to a rarely-seen facet of the man’s life.

9. This was the Real Life: The Tale of Freddie Mercury by David Evans & David Minns

David Minns dated Mercury during the mid-70s when Freddie was still coming to terms with his feelings – especially in the wake of his doomed relationship with Mary Austin, and the book does give an insight into the turmoil he was going through.

First published back in 1992, the revised version features relevant sections from Minns’ unfinished memoir of his life and includes excerpts from letters from Mercury alongside pictures that have never been published before. The past tense of the title is poignant to say the least and this is a tale of a love story painfully innocent in its fuzzy closeness.

10. Freddie Mercury A to Z: The Life of an Icon by Steve Wilde and Paul Borchers

A concept that lays out the pivotal moments and characters from Mercury's life in, as the title suggests, an A-Z format – C is for Cats, X is for X-Rated, and so on – and, although accompanied by illustrations from Paul Borchers that are pretty ordinary, the dip-in-and-out appeal is undeniable.

However there are a number of glaring inaccuracies that dispel any authority the book may hope to wield and there’s no possible excuse for vouchsafing, as it does, that Bohemian Rhapsody is the closing track of Queen’s second album. Any real fan will know that it is, of course, the penultimate song of their fourth record A Night At The Opera . Fun but flawed.

11. Freddie Mercury: A Kind of Magic by Mark Blake

With each chapter preceded by a timeline of the period of Mercury’s life that it covers, this is a well-designed and excellently-written book from former Q magazine journalist Mark Blake, and is notable for the amount of detail on offer. 

We are again drawn to Mercury's early years and, thanks to a series of exhaustive interviews with former school chums, the reader can easily imagine what life was like at St Peter’s Boys School in Panchgani, India; who knew Fred was an accomplished boxer?

The high levels of minute detail continue throughout and there is something new to discover on almost every page. Great stuff.

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Freddie Mercury: The Biography Paperback – Illustrated, October 2, 2012

**THE DEFINITIVE, UP-TO-DATE BIOGRAPHY OF FREDDIE MERCURY** 'An outstanding biography. . .a fitting testament to the creative genius' -- Daily Mail 'Touches all manner of intriguing rock 'n' roll debauchery. . .fascinating reading' -- Time Out This fascinating biography of Freddie Mercury has received outstanding acclaim from Queen and rock fans worldwide -- now revised and updated to coincide with the release of the film about his life, Bohemian Rhapsody . Born Farrokh Bulsara on the island of Zanzibar, Freddie Mercury rose to worldwide stardom as the lead singer of Britain's biggest music act of all time. In this bestselling biography, Laura Jackson reveals the reality behind Queen's flamboyant frontman and lead singer, as she looks behind his unique brand of showmanship to discover who Freddie Mercury really was. Featuring exclusive interviews with some of those closest to Freddie right up until his tragic death, original Queen members and many others -- including new and intimate stories from Tim Rice, Richard Branson, Cliff Richard, Bruce Dickinson, Mike Moran, Wayne Eagling, Zandra Rhodes and Susannah York -- this is the definitive biography of one of rock's greatest legends.

• Print length 288 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Piatkus
• Publication date October 2, 2012
• Reading age 18 years and up
• Dimensions 5 x 0.75 x 7.75 inches
• ISBN-10 0749956089
• ISBN-13 978-0749956080
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

From the back cover.

The definitive biography that has received outstanding acclaim from Queen and rock fans worldwide - now revised and updated. Born Farrokh Bulsara on the island of Zanzibar, Freddie Mercury rose to worldwide stardom as the lead singer of Britain's biggest music act of all time. In this bestselling biography, Laura Jackson reveals the reality behind Queen's flamboyant frontman and lead singer, as she looks behind his unique brand of showmanship to discover who Freddie Mercury really was. Featuring exclusive interviews with some of those closest to Freddie right up until his tragic death, original Queen members and many others, this is the definitive biography of one of rock's greatest legends.

About the Author

Product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Piatkus; Revised, Updated ed. edition (October 2, 2012)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0749956089
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0749956080
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.1 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.75 x 7.75 inches
• #3,166 in Rock Band Biographies
• #3,833 in Rock Music (Books)
• #10,602 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies

About the author

Laura jackson.

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