Freddie Mercury, the British singer-songwriter and frontman of Queen is one of the most iconic musicians of the 20th century. In his short lifespan, he earned the distinction of having produced some of the best rock ballads of all time and translating them on stage equally well. Here are some interesting facts about the singer on his 76th birth anniversary
Updated On: 2022-09-05 11:04 AM IST
Farrokh Bulsara, popularly known as Freddie Mercury, was the frontman of the iconic English rock band Queen. He was born on September 5, 1946 in Tanzania to Bomi and Jer Bulsara, who were a part of the Parsi community and whose origins come from Bulsar (present day Valsad) in Gujarat. In this photo, Freddie Mercury (centre) with his mum Jer and dad Bomi Bulsara. Pic courtesy/File pic/Freddie mercury: The great pretender, a life in pictures
During his early days, Mercury spent his time in India at St Peter’s School in Panchgani. It was also during this time that he took piano lessons while staying with his relatives and went on to be a part of a school band called the Hectics. According to a Scroll report, he was a part of this band a little over 10 years before he formed Queen. Seen here are Jehangir Bulsara, who was Mercury's second cousin, and Freddie’s mother Jer Bulsara (second left) with close family members. Photo: File pic
Before Queen, Mercury was a part of several bands including Liverpool-based Ibex, also known as Wreckage, and Oxford-based Sour Milk Sea but they never took off. A year later, he joined guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, as a part of their band Smile. They were soon joined by bass guitarist John Deacon, and it was not long before the band was renamed to Queen by Mercury himself. Photo: AFP
The English singer-songwriter is known for writing many of the band’s famous songs including ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Somebody to Love’ and ‘We Are the Champions’ among others. Apart from being a great musician, Mercury was also known for being a great stage performer that involved a lot of theatrics including different kinds of costumes for different performances. The Live Aid performance in 1985 with Queen is one of the most popular performances by him of all time. Photo: AFP
Freddie Mercury passed away on November 24, 1991 at the age of 45 due to bronchial pneumonia, which was a result of AIDS. It was a few years after he had tested positive for the disease. The singer’s funeral service was conducted three days later by a Zoroastrian priest at the West London Crematorium. Photo: AFP
