Freddie Mercury: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:11, 3 June 2006

Revision as of 01:29, 4 June 2006

Line 1:

{{Infobox Biography

|subject_name=Freddie Mercury.

|image_name=Fm0.jpg

|image_caption=Live with Queen 1980's

Line 13:

[[Roger Meddows-Taylor|Roger Taylor]]

}}

'''Freddie Mercury''' (5 September 1946 - 24 November 1991) was a [[British Asian]] [[songwriter]] and [[singer]], best known as the [[frontman]] for the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Rock and roll|rock]] [[musical band|band]] [[Queen (band)|Queen]]. He was noted for his powerful vocal abilities and his charisma as a live performer. As a [[songwriter]], he composed many international hits such as "[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]" and "[[We Are The Champions]]". Mercury died from complications of [[AIDS]], greatly increasing awareness of the disease.

==Early Life==

Freddie Mercury was born '''Farrokh Bulsara''' on the African island of [[Zanzibar]] (which at the time was a [[British Empire|British colony]], now part of [[Tanzania]]) to [[India]]n [[Parsi]] parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara.<{{ref |name="name">Government of Zanzibar (1946). "Certificate of Birth". Retrieved from [http://mr-mercury.co.uk/Images/Birthcertificatefreddie.jpg here], May 29, 2006.</ref>}} As Parsis, his parents practiced the ancient [[Persian]] religion of [[Zoroastrianism]]. The family had emigrated to Zanzibar from [[India]] in order for Bomi to continue his job as a middle-ranking cashier at the [[Secretary of State for the Colonies|British Colonial Office]]. Mercury had one younger sister; Kashmira.

Mercury was educated at St. Peter's [[boarding school]] in [[Panchgani]] (Satara) near Bombay (now [[Mumbai]]) in [[India]], where he gave his first onstage performances in a five-member school band called The Hectics. Mercury completed his education in India at St. Mary's High School in [[Mazagaon|Mazagon]], Mumbai and was 17 when he and his family fled to [[England]] as a result of a 1964 [[Zanzibar Revolution|revolution in Zanzibar]]. In England, he pursued a Diploma in Art and Graphic Design at [[Ealing Art College]], following in the footsteps of [[Pete Townshend]]. He later used these skills in order to design the famous Queen crest. Mercury remained a British [[citizen]] for the rest of his life.

According to a November 17, 1996 [[Sunday Times]] article, Freddie Mercury was born "Farok Bulsara"<{{ref name="farok">"Star of India". ''Sunday London Times'', November 17, 1996. Retrieved from [http://queen-blue.xhost.ro/article24.htm here], May 29, 2006.</ref>|Farok}}. However, while in boarding school, friends began calling him "Freddie", a name that he and his family eventually adopted. When Queen was first formed, he was initially using the name Freddie Bulsara. However, according to bandmate [[Brian May]] in the "Freddie Mercury: The Untold Story" video<{{ref name="|untold">[http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/Videos/untold.htm "Freddie Mercury - The Untold Story"]. ''www.ultimatequeen.co.uk''.</ref>}}, his decision to change his name to Mercury occurred while he was writing a song called "[[My Fairy King]]", which contains a cryptic reference to "Mother Mercury." May also suggested that Mercury may have changed his name in part to distance himself from his ethnic background. Interestingly, profiles of Mercury before his death (e.g. a September 1980 interview in ''Circus''<{{ref name="circus">Lou O'Neill Jr. "Lights! Action! Sound! It's That Crazy Little Thing Called Queen". ''|Circus'', September 1980. Retrieved from [http://mr-mercury.co.uk/circus_sept_80.htm here], May 29, 2006.</ref>}}) erroneously claim his real name to have been "Frederick Bulsara".

==Singer and performer==

[[Image:Qfm.jpg|thumb|right|Live with Queen 1970's]]

Considered one of the most versatile male vocalists in popular music, Freddie Mercury possessed a very distinctive voice. Although his speaking voice naturally fell in the [[baritone]] range, he also maintained tone in the [[tenor]] range <{{ref name="|voice">Andrés E. Guazzelli. [http://www.f-mercury.com.ar/eng_characteristics.htm "Characteristics of his voice"]. Retrieved May 29, 2006.</ref>}}. His recorded vocal range spanned nearly four [[octave]]s ([[falsetto]] included), with his lowest recorded note being the F2 and his highest recorded note being the D6. His highest recorded [[head voice]] note was the F5. In addition to vocal range, Mercury often delivered technically difficult songs in a forceful and powerful manner. However, due in part to the fact that he suffered from [[vocal fold nodules|vocal nodules]] (for which he declined surgery), he would often lower the highest notes during many concerts.

With his vocal versatility, Freddie Mercury was one of the most technically accomplished singers to work in the pop idiom. In a list of the greatest [[English language]] singers of the 20th century compiled by [[BBC Radio]], Mercury was ranked #10.<{{ref name="|bbc">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/entertainment/music/1281522.stm "Sinatra is voice of the century"]. ''BBC News Online'', April 18, 2001. Retrieved May 29, 2006.</ref>}} He also came in second in [[MTV's 22 Greatest Voices in Music|MTV's list of the 22 greatest singers]] of the past 25 years, having been beaten by [[Mariah Carey]] for the top spot.

Freddie Mercury's performance at [[Live Aid]] has recently been voted by various artists, journalists and music industry executives as the greatest live performance of all time in rock music.<{{ref name="liveaid">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4420308.stm "Queen win greatest live gig poll"]. ''BBC News'', November 9, 2005.</ref>|Liveaid}} The results of the poll were televised on a [[Channel 4]] television programme in the UK called "The World's Greatest Gigs". Of all the artists present at the Live Aid concert, Queen was widely regarded as having stolen the show, largely as a result of Mercury's incredible talent and charisma.

One of Mercury's trademarks throughout the years involved the use of a microphone and stand minus the bottom section. In his early years of singing he made the decision to pick up his microphone, still attached to the stand. At one particular event, the bottom fell off by accident and, from that point on, he decided to use a bottomless microphone stand. When asked why, he replied, "Everyone has to have a gimmick, dear."

Line 36:

Mercury composed ten of the songs on Queen's original ''[[Greatest Hits (Queen)|Greatest Hits]]'' album, including many of the band's most creative pieces, such as "[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]", "[[Killer Queen (song)|Killer Queen]]", "[[We Are the Champions]]", "[[Crazy Little Thing Called Love]]" and "[[Somebody to Love (Queen song)|Somebody to Love]]".

Although all four members of the band Queen were songwriters, producer Gary Langhan, who worked in the studio with Queen on many of their early albums, notes in the book ''Freddie Mercury: The Real Life'' that "Freddie was always intensely supportive of other people's songwriting and would give as much attention to one of the other's as he would to his own. It was so unlike other bands I've worked with where there is an acknowledged songwriter and anyone else who writes one really has to hassle to get it anywhere"<{{ref name="langhan">David Evans, David Minns. ''Freddie Mercury: This Is the Real Life.'' Brittania, 1992. ISBN 0-9519937-1-2 (paperback), ISBN 0-9519937-0-4 (hardback)</ref>|Langhan}}.

Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of Mercury's songwriting was the number of long (typically five and a half minutes or longer) songs that utilized several different styles of music. Examples include [[My Fairy King]], [[Liar (song)|Liar]], [[The Millionaire Waltz]], [[The March Of The Black Queen]], [[Innuendo (song)|Innuendo]] and, of course, [[Bohemian Rhapsody]]. Compared to most popular songwriters, Freddie Mercury wrote very musically complex songs. As an example, while the average top 10 pop song contains 3 to 7 chords, [[Bohemian Rhapsody]] contains 60 different chords <{{ref name="|transcribed">[http://people.csail.mit.edu/custo/FTP/Chitarra/Bohemian%20rhapsody%20-QUEEN.txt "Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen"]. Transcribed by A. Aledort.</ref>}}. [[Bicycle Race]] contains over 20 chords as well as complex metre changes (the bridge is in 3/4 while verses and choruses are in 4/4) <{{ref name="|bicycle">[http://queen.musichall.cz/index_en.php?s=sa&d=brace "Bicycle Race"]. ''queen.musichall.cz''.</ref>}}.

On the Freddie Mercury box set, opera singer [[Montserrat Caballé]] commented that, "He was not only a popular singer, he was a musician, that could sit at the piano and compose. He discovered a new way to bring different music styles together. He is the first and only person to have done this."

Line 45:

[[Image:Bohemianrhapsodyfeedback.jpg|thumb|right|Freddie Mercury in the 1975 video for Bohemian Rhapsody.]]

{{Main|Bohemian Rhapsody}}

Although similarly sophisticated songs can be found on earlier Queen albums such as ''[[Queen II]]'' and ''[[Sheer Heart Attack]]'', ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' is nonetheless widely considered to be the band's greatest achievement <{{ref name="|achievements">Jim Farber. [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/music/13582924.htm?source=rss&channel=mercurynews_living "30 years later, Queen's 'Rhapsody' is no joke"]. ''The Mercury News'', January 9, 2006.</ref>}}. When Mercury played his early drafts in the studio, producer [[Roy Thomas Baker]] remembers being shocked when, after hearing the ballad section of the song, he was told, "''Now dear, this is where the opera section comes in <{{ref name="|opera">[http://www.queenonline.com/index2.php?section=4&feature=16 "ANATO 30th Anniversary Edition. Press Release"], ''Queenonline''.</ref>}}.

When the band wanted to release the song as a single in 1975, it had been suggested that, at 5 minutes and 5455 seconds, it was far too long and would thus never be a hit. But Mercury gave a copy of the single to friend and [[London]] DJ, [[Kenny Everett]], informing him that it was for him personally, and that he must never broadcast it on the radio. Ultimately, Everett ended up playing the song on the air, up to fourteen times in the same day. It generated a huge fan response; eventually, every major radio station played the song in full and it became one of the biggest hits of all time in the UK, remaining at the #1 position for nine weeks. Although a great deal of speculation has arisen over the song's lyrics, Mercury always insisted that the song did not have any specific meaning.

==Musical Influences==

As a child, Freddie Mercury's parents listened to a great deal of Indian music, and one of his early influences was the [[Bollywood]] playback singer, [[Lata Mangeshkar]] <{{ref name="lata">Laura Jackson. ''Mercury: The King of Queen.'' London: Smith Gryphon, 1996. ISBN 1-85685-132-X</ref>|Lata}}. According to a March 1996 edition of [[Record Collector]] magazine <{{ref name="|influences">Andy Davis. "Queen Before Queen". ''Record Collector'' #199, March 1996. Retrieved from [http://www.freddie.ru/e/archives/qbq/2.html here], May 29, 2006.</ref>}}, after moving to England, Mercury became a huge fan of [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[The Beatles]], [[The Jackson 5]] and [[Led Zeppelin]]. His inspiration for writing long, acyclic songs such as [[Bohemian Rhapsody]] reportedly came from the song [[A Day In The Life]] by [[The Beatles]]. In a television interview (Queen For An Hour, BBC, early 1989), Mercury commented that his two favourite male rock vocalists were [[Robert Plant]] and [[George Michael]]. He also admired many singers outside of rock music, such as [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Liza Minnelli]], [[Luciano Pavarotti]] and [[Montserrat Caballé]].

==Personal life==

Although he had a very close girlfriend named Mary Austin, Freddie Mercury was also fairly open about his [[homosexuality|homosexualityhomosexual]] tendencies. In a [[March 12]], [[1974]] interview for ''[[New Musical Express]]'' he told the interviewer: "I am as gay as a daffodil, my dear!"<{{ref name="|gay">Julie Webb. "Highly Strung? We Fight Over Hairspray". ''New Musical Express'', March 12, 1974. Retrieved from [http://mr-mercury.co.uk/Articles/vox_magazine.htm here], May 29, 2006.</ref>}} Although his relationship with Mary Austin eventually ended, the two remained close friends, with Austin often fronting as his girlfriend for the press. At one point Mercury said about Austin: "All my lovers asked me why they couldn't replace Mary (Austin) but it's simply impossible. The only friend I've got is Mary and I don't want anybody else. To me, she was my [[common-law marriage|common-law wife]]. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each othereachother, thats enough for me. I couldn't fall in love with a man the same way as I have with Mary."

While Mercury had previously been promiscuous, his last boyfriend, Jim Hutton, lived with him for the last six years of his life, cared for him when he was ill and was present with him at his bedside when he died <{{ref name="|bedside">"Freddie and Jim: A Love Story". ''The Guardian'', Weekend Magazine, October 22, 1994. Retrieved from [http://queen.peoples.ru/html/archive/stati/fred_jim.htm here], May 29, 2006.</ref>}}. According to Hutton, Mercury referred to him as his husband and died while wearing a wedding band that Hutton had given him <{{ref name="|husband">Jim Hutton, Tim Waspshott. ''Mercury and Me.'' Bloomsbury, 1994. ISBN 0747519226</ref>}}.

Mercury was well known for his extravagance. HeAs oncea toldpenniless interviewstudent, Davidfriends Wiggrecall the aspiring musician as having exclaimed at one point, "Darling''I'm not just going to be a star, I'm simplygoing drippingto withbe money.a Itlegend!''" mayWhen beasked vulgar,how buthe it'swould wonderful!live Allwithout Ifame wantor frommoney, lifehe isreplied, to"''I'll makealways lotswalk ofaround moneylike a Persian popinjay and spendno itone's going to stop me.''" On the other hand, he was also known for his kindness and generosity, showering friends and casual lovers with expensive gifts, apparently including cars and jewelry. While he was charming and outgoing at his own parties, he often appeared to be shy at other events.

==Death==

According to the book ''Mercury and Me'' by partner Jim Hutton, Mercury was diagnosed with [[AIDS]] in the spring of 1987. Despite the fact that he claimed to have tested negative for [[HIV]] in a 1987 interview, the British press nonetheless stalked the singer during the final years of his life. Although rumours about his health were rampant, he continued to deny that he had AIDS. From the video for [[These Are the Days of Our Lives]], which represents Mercury's last appearance on film, it was clear that he was suffering from severe wasting. On [[November 22]], 1991 Mercury called Queen's manager Jim Beach over to his Kensington home to discuss a public statement. On November 23, the following announcement was made to the press:

{{Cquote|"Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, 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 to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease. My privacy has always been very special to me and I am famous for my lack of interviews. Please understand this policy will continue." }}

The next day, Mercury died at home in the presence of close friends at the age of 45. The official cause of death was [[bronchial]] [[pneumonia]] resulting from [[AIDS]]. Although he had not attended religious services in years, Mercury's funeral was conducted by a [[Zoroastrian]] priest. He was cremated at [[Kensal Green Cemetery]] and the whereabouts of his ashes are unknown, although some believe them to have been dispersed into [[Lake Geneva]]. The remaining members of Queen founded [[The Mercury Phoenix Trust]] and organized [[The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert]]. He left £500,000 to his chef and £500,000 to his partner, Jim Hutton. Mary Austin inherited the estate and now lives there with her family. According to the book "The Show Must Go On" by Rick Sky, although Mercury was thought to have earned around £42 million, his thirteen page will revealed only £12 million.<{{ref name="|wealth">Rick Sky. ''The Show Must Go On.'' Fontana, 1992. ISBN 0-00637843-9</ref>}} It apparently was not clear exactly what had happened to the fortune he had earned.

==Legacy==

Line 68 ⟶ 69:

'''Recent polls'''

*Several recent polls show Freddie Mercury to remain popular in Britain. For instance, in the 1999 Millennium Poll, in which 600,000 Britons participated, he was voted at the #14 and #15 spots, respectively, as a popular musician and songwriter.<{{ref name="|millennium">"Music of the Millenium". Retrieved from [http://mr-mercury.co.uk/Articles/music_of_the_millenium.htm here], May 29, 2006.</ref>}}

*Freddie Mercury appears at the #58 spot in the 2002 List of "[[100 Greatest Britons]]", sponsored by the [[BBC]] and voted for by the public.

*Two of Mercury's compositions, "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "We Are the Champions" have each been claimed, in separate polls, as the world's favourite song. Most recently, an Ericsson poll of 600,000 people in 66 different countries found "We Are the Champions" to be the world's most popular tune.<{{ref name="|champions">Lester Haines. [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/29/world_music_poll "'We Are The Champions' voted world's fave song"]. ''The Register'', September 29, 2005.</ref>}} This contradicts another major poll by Guinness World, which had previously found "Bohemian Rhapsody" to be the world's most popular song from the past 50 years.<{{ref name="|rhapsody">[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/09/entertainment/main528777.shtml "'Bohemian Rhapsody' Top Chart Topper"]. ''CBS News'', November 9, 2002.</ref>}}

'''The world's first Indian rock star'''

Line 78 ⟶ 79:

'''Valuable Mercury memorabilia'''

Over the years, rare Freddie Mercury solo albums have greatly increased in value.<{{ref name="|value">"How Great Thou Art, King Freddie". ''Record Collector'', July 1999. Retrieved from [http://www.freddie.ru/e/heaven/rc.html here], May 29, 2006.</ref>}} For instance, a Japanese single of the song "Guide Me Home" from the ''Barcelona'' album is now worth as much as £1,000 ($1,800). Another valuable item is a [[1973 in music|1973]] cover of the [[1969 in music|1969]] [[Beach Boys]] song, ''I Can Hear Music'' recorded under the [[stage name]] '''[[Larry Lurex]]'''. Widely [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]]ged, the original record is now a valuable collectible, fetching up to £400 ($700).

==Trivia==

*Freddie Mercury's famous overbite was apparently caused by the presence of four extra teeth, which pushed his incisors out. He commented early in his career that he wished to have work done, but regretted that he did not have time to do it. He also expressed fears that such an operation might damage his voice. While smiling in interviews, Freddie would often cover his mouth with his hand in an attempt to hide the overbite.

*Freddie Mercury and [[Michael Jackson]] were apparently quite good friends for some period of time. With Jackson, he collaborated on some tracks which were never officially released, including ''There Must Be More To Life Than This'' and ''State Of Shock''.<{{ref name="jackson">[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm2gu79sWM8&search=Freddie%20Mercury "Freddie Mercury talks about Michael |Jackson"]. ''www.youtube.com''.</ref>}} The latter song, released on the 1984 ''Victory'' album, was ultimately performed by [[Mick Jagger]] and [[The Jacksons]]. Interestingly, ''Victory'' was the designated title of the unreleased Jackson/Mercury project.

*Freddie Mercury was the one rock star mentioned in singer [[Kurt Cobain]]'s suicide note :

:''"I havent<!--sic--> felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music along with reading and writing for too many years now. I feel guilty beyond words about these things. For example, when we're backstage and the lights go out and the manic roar of the crowds begins, it doesn't affect me the way in which it did for Freddy (sic) Mercury who seemed to love, relish in the love and adoration from the crowd, which is something I totally admire and envy."''<{{ref name="cobain">"Kurt |Cobain's Suicide Note". Retrieved from [http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Venue/6582/Nirvana/suicidenote.html here], May 29, 2006.</ref>}}

*In 2004, Mercury was ranked #18 in a [[Forbes]] magazine list of the highest earning dead celebrities.<{{ref name="forbes">[http://www.forbes.com/lists/2004/10/25/cx_2004deadcelebtears_18.html "Dead Celebrities - The Top Earners For 2004"]. ''forbes.com''.</ref>|Forbes}}

*A species of East African [[isopod]], ''Cirolana mercuryi'' N. Bruce, was named after Freddie in 2004.

*A [[Royal Mail]] [[postage stamp|stamp]] called The [[Millennium Stamp]] commemorated the life of Freddie Mercury.

*[[Ormus]] [[Cama]], the Indian Parsi rock and roll star and hero of [[Salman Rushdie]]'s novel [[The Ground Beneath Her Feet]], was loosely based on Mercury.<ref name="rushdie">{{cite webref| url=http://www.teenja.com/p/articles/mi_m1285/is_5_29/ai_54546012/pg_2?pi=tnj| title=The page isn't redirecting properly| accessdate=2006-05-30Rushdie}} - Firefox has detected that the server is redirecting the request for this address in a way that will never complete.</ref>

==Albums==

Line 115 ⟶ 116:

==References==

<!-- Instructions for adding a footnote:

NOTE: Footnotes in this article use names, not numbers. Please see [[Wikipedia:Footnote3]] for details.

1) Assign your footnote a unique name, for example TheSun_Dec9.

2) Add the macro {{ref|TheSun_Dec9}} to the body of the article, where you want the new footnote.

3) Take note of the name of the footnote that immediately proceeds yours in the article body.

4) Add #{{Note|TheSun_Dec9}} to the list, immediately below the footnote you noted in step3.

5) Multiple footnotes to the same reference will not work: you must insert two uniquely-named footnotes.

NOTE: It is important to add the Footnote in the right order in the list.

-->

<div class="references-small">

<references />

# {{note|name}} Government of Zanzibar (1946). "Certificate of Birth". Retrieved from [http://mr-mercury.co.uk/Images/Birthcertificatefreddie.jpg here], May 29, 2006.

# {{note|Farok}} "Star of India". ''Sunday London Times'', November 17, 1996. Retrieved from [http://queen-blue.xhost.ro/article24.htm here], May 29, 2006.

# {{note|untold}} [http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/Videos/untold.htm "Freddie Mercury - The Untold Story"]. ''www.ultimatequeen.co.uk''.

# {{note|Circus}} Lou O'Neill Jr. "Lights! Action! Sound! It's That Crazy Little Thing Called Queen". ''Circus'', September 1980. Retrieved from [http://mr-mercury.co.uk/circus_sept_80.htm here], May 29, 2006.

# {{note|voice}} Andrés E. Guazzelli. [http://www.f-mercury.com.ar/eng_characteristics.htm "Characteristics of his voice"]. Retrieved May 29, 2006.

# {{note|bbc}} [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/entertainment/music/1281522.stm "Sinatra is voice of the century"]. ''BBC News Online'', April 18, 2001. Retrieved May 29, 2006.

# {{note|Liveaid}} [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4420308.stm "Queen win greatest live gig poll"]. ''BBC News'', November 9, 2005.

# {{note|Langhan}} David Evans, David Minns. ''Freddie Mercury: This Is the Real Life.'' Brittania, 1992. ISBN 0-9519937-1-2 (paperback), ISBN 0-9519937-0-4 (hardback)

# {{note|transcribed}} [http://people.csail.mit.edu/custo/FTP/Chitarra/Bohemian%20rhapsody%20-QUEEN.txt "Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen"]. Transcribed by A. Aledort.

# {{note|bicycle}} [http://queen.musichall.cz/index_en.php?s=sa&d=brace "Bicycle Race"]. ''queen.musichall.cz''.

# {{note|achievements}} Jim Farber. [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/music/13582924.htm?source=rss&channel=mercurynews_living "30 years later, Queen's 'Rhapsody' is no joke"]. ''The Mercury News'', January 9, 2006.

# {{note|opera}} [http://www.queenonline.com/index2.php?section=4&feature=16 "ANATO 30th Anniversary Edition. Press Release"], ''Queenonline''.

#{{note|Lata}} Laura Jackson. ''Mercury: The King of Queen.'' London: Smith Gryphon, 1996. ISBN 1-85685-132-X

# {{note|influences}} Andy Davis. "Queen Before Queen". ''Record Collector'' #199, March 1996. Retrieved from [http://www.freddie.ru/e/archives/qbq/2.html here], May 29, 2006.

# {{note|gay}} Julie Webb. "Highly Strung? We Fight Over Hairspray". ''New Musical Express'', March 12, 1974. Retrieved from [http://mr-mercury.co.uk/Articles/vox_magazine.htm here], May 29, 2006.

# {{note|bedside}} "Freddie and Jim: A Love Story". ''The Guardian'', Weekend Magazine, October 22, 1994. Retrieved from [http://queen.peoples.ru/html/archive/stati/fred_jim.htm here], May 29, 2006.

# {{note|husband}} Jim Hutton, Tim Waspshott. ''Mercury and Me.'' Bloomsbury, 1994. ISBN 0747519226

# {{note|wealth}} Rick Sky. ''The Show Must Go On.'' Fontana, 1992. ISBN 0-00637843-9

# {{note|millennium}} "Music of the Millenium". Retrieved from [http://mr-mercury.co.uk/Articles/music_of_the_millenium.htm here], May 29, 2006.

# {{note|champions}} Lester Haines. [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/29/world_music_poll "'We Are The Champions' voted world's fave song"]. ''The Register'', September 29, 2005.

# {{note|Rhapsody}} [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/09/entertainment/main528777.shtml "'Bohemian Rhapsody' Top Chart Topper"]. ''CBS News'', November 9, 2002.

# {{note|value}} "How Great Thou Art, King Freddie". ''Record Collector'', July 1999. Retrieved from [http://www.freddie.ru/e/heaven/rc.html here], May 29, 2006.

# {{note|Jackson}} [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm2gu79sWM8&search=Freddie%20Mercury "Freddie Mercury talks about Michael Jackson"]. ''www.youtube.com''.

# {{note|Cobain}} "Kurt Cobain's Suicide Note". Retrieved from [http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Venue/6582/Nirvana/suicidenote.html here], May 29, 2006.

# {{note|Forbes}} [http://www.forbes.com/lists/2004/10/25/cx_2004deadcelebtears_18.html "Dead Celebrities - The Top Earners For 2004"]. ''forbes.com''.

# {{note|Rushdie}} http://www.teenja.com/p/articles/mi_m1285/is_5_29/ai_54546012/pg_2?pi=tnj <!--dead link ?-->

</div>

Line 152 ⟶ 190:

[[Category:Freddie Mercury| ]]

[[Category:AIDS-related deaths|Mercury, Freddie]]

[[Category:Bisexual musicians|Mercury, Freddie]]

[[Category:British male singers|Mercury, Freddie]]

[[Category:British rock singers|Mercury, Freddie]]

Line 159 ⟶ 198:

[[Category:Indian singers|Mercury, Freddie]]

[[Category:Entertainers who died in their 40s|Mercury, Freddie]]

[[Category:Lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender people|Mercury, Freddie]]

[[Category:Parsis|Mercury, Freddie]]

[[Category:Asian-British people|Mercury, Freddie]]

Line 167 ⟶ 207:

[[Category:Vocalists|Mercury, Freddie]]

[[Category:Male singers|Mercury, Freddie]]

[[Category:Lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender people]]

[[Category:British Parsis]]

[[bs:Freddie Mercury]]

[[bg:Фреди Меркюри]]