Freddie was born 'Farookh Bulsara' in Zanzibar in 1946. He lived there until his family moved to England in 1964 when he was 18. They made their home in the London suburb of Feltham in Middlesex. Freddie loved art and in 1966, he began to attend Ealing Art School.
In 1969, he was introduced to a group called 'Ibex' and began singing for them, but they didn't last long.
He then sang with 'Sour Milk Sea' and when they too broke up, Freddie formed his own band 'Wreckage'. But, unfortunately, they also didn't last very long.
By this time, Freddie was spending more and more time with Roger Taylor (a former Dentistry student) who he had met through Tim Staffell (a fellow student of Freddie's). Staffell (vocals), along with Brian May (a Physics student) on guitar and Roger on drums, had formed the band 'Smile'. Freddie went along to all their gigs and soon became their number one fan!
'Smile' were once described as "The loudest group in the Western World" ~ but they only released one single which failed miserably. When Staffell left, Freddie took his place!
In 1970, the band that would become 'QUEEN', came into being.
In 1971, John Deacon joined the line-up. 'QUEEN' was complete!
From 1973 to 1991, the group recorded, on average, one album a year.
In the beginning there were 'flops' and failures, but they soon began to play bigger venues, and are credited with the invention of 'Stadium Rock' and sold millions of albums along the way!
Freddie also had an 'independent' musical career ~ his collaborations with Spanish Opera singer Monserrat Caballè, perhaps being the most famous.
He also joined the 'Royal Ballet' for a special charity event. He performed 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' ~ both played by an orchestra with Freddie singing!
Freddie's parties were legendary. It was normal to spend £50,000 on drink and entertainment. One even, reputedly, cost £200,000, with £30,00 just on champagne!
His home in Kensington was another of his luxuries. He bought it for £500,000 ~ in cash! Included were eight bedrooms, four marble bathrooms, a jacuzzi and a minstrels gallery.
This, along with his beloved CATS, would become a sanctuary for him towards the end of his life.
By 1986, Freddie had abandoned his 'excessive lifestyle' ~ he knew he was dying. He never admitted to the world that he had AIDS, but people were beginning to suspect something was wrong.
It still touches me deeply, and always will. Even now, as I'm writing this, I have tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat.
His public appearances became rarer and rarer and in November 1991, a statement was released:
"I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private to date in order to protect the intimacy of those around me. However, the time has now come for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth. I hope everyone will join me, my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease."
Just 24 hours later came the end.
It was unexpected and very quick. At 7pm on Sunday 24th November 1991, Freddie's role as the 'King of Queen' came to an end.
He was only 45.
It goes without saying, that I have missed out many aspects of Freddie's life ~ but it was never meant to be anything other than a few notes, a personal tribute, about my hero to myself.
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE............
