We all know Bohemian Rhapsody made rock and roll history at the time, being a new, never-heard-of-before musical composition that drove crowds crazy. It was the first popular single in history that didn’t have a chorus and featured such different musical styles. Not to mention its rock opera, guitar solo and ballad notes.
Safe to say, Bohemian Rhapsody was a groundbreaking song unlike nothing the world had ever heard, and it was only logical that everyone starts wondering what the story behind the grand song’s strange musical arrangements and deep, heart-touching lyrics was. To which Freddie just replied, “It bears no real meaning, it’s all rhyming nonsense”.
Unfinished business
Freddie got weaker with time, and being such a fashion icon, he was worried about how he’d started to look. Eventually, he realized he was no longer able to perform live. With time, even performing for cameras became difficult. During the last year of his life, there were moments when he could barely stand.
Soon, he was confined to his bed and slowly started to realize that he had so many unfinished projects and works of art that he wouldn’t have time to complete. One of these was “Mother Love”, written by guitarist Brian May, which features the last ever vocals sung by Mercury, six months before his death.
A legacy that would last forever
Shortly after his 45th birthday, Freddie Mercury passed away on November 24, 1991. He was next to his husband, Jim Hutton, and his beloved animals, in their beautiful home in London. Freddie left 50% of what he owned to his best friend, Mary Austin, and his ten cats. The remaining 50% was left to his partner, Jim Hutton, some friends, and Freddie's mother and sister. But he left the world a much more precious inheritance.
Freddie Mercury was one of those musicians that only come around once in a lifetime. He was a true, natural-born artist than shone radiant light wherever he went. He gave the world music, in its most beautiful form. His persona and his music have continued to touch people’s lives over generations. Mercury taught the world there is nothing more important than being true to yourself and being in love with what you do because only then are we able to change the world.
Kurt Cobain's Suicide Note Mentioned Freddie
The world was devastated when Nirvana’s lead singer, Kurt Cobain, committed suicide in 1994. Music suffered a great loss with this brilliant musician’s death. What many don’t know, though, is that Cobain mentioned Mercury in his suicide note, saying he “admired and envied his ability to perform and embrace the love of the audience, and how he “seemed to love, relish in the love and adoration from the crowd”.
And indeed this was a unique trait of Freddie’s, he had the ability to connect with his audience in a way that moved bodies and souls.
Freddie Designed Queen’s Famous Crest Logo
As we’ve mentioned above, Freddie studied design in college, and he was a very talented artist. Freddie designed the band’s famous crest logo shortly after the release of Queen’s first album, in 1973.
It was made up of the zodiac signs of each of the band members, two lions for Leo (Deacon and Taylor’s sign), a crab for Cancer (May’s sign) and two fairies for Virgo (Freddie’s sign). To top it all off, he designed a majestic phoenix over it all, with its wings open. We’re not sure what the phoenix stands for, but we can probably come up with a few good theories.