Farrokh Bulsara, better known by his stage name Freddie Mercury, was a British musician and composer who rose to prominence as the lead singer of the rock group Queen. Mercury died on November 24, 1991.
He was renowned for his flamboyant stage demeanor and four-octave vocal range and is regarded as one of the best singers in the history of rock music. With his theatrical approach, Mercury defied the expectations of a rock frontman and influenced Queen’s aesthetic vision.
Quick Details
| NET WORTH: | $40 MILLION |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Singer |
| Date of Birth: | September 5, 1946 (aged 45) |
| Country: | Tanzania-born British |
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.77 m) |
What Was Freddie Mercury’s Net Worth?
At the time of his passing in 1991, British singer-songwriter-musician Freddie Mercury had a net worth of $50 million (after adjusting for inflation).
At the time of his passing in 1991, Freddie had liquid assets totaling $13 million and real estate worth the inflation-adjusted equivalent of $40 million. His overall net worth was somewhere between $50 and $60 million.
Mercury is best known as the rock band Queen’s main singer. He was well-known for his colorful and theatrical stage demeanor and possessed a four-octave vocal range. His songwriting credits include “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and “We Are the Champions,” among other Queen classics.
Freddie had a solo career in addition to his work with Queen. He also occasionally produced songs and performed as a musician (keyboard or vocals) on other artists’ albums.
Since Mercury’s passing from AIDS-related problems in 1991, the band got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002, and Mercury has been posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2001), the UK Music Hall of Fame (2004), and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2003).
Freddie was ranked #58 in the BBC’s list of the 100 Greatest Britons in 2002. According to a 2005 survey conducted by “Blender” and MTV2, Mercury is the best male singer in history. He was ranked number 18 on “Rolling Stone” editors’ list of the top 100 singers of all time in 2008, and he won the “Classic Rock” poll’s title of finest rock singer ever.
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Early Years
On September 5, 1946, in Stone Town, Sultanate of Zanzibar, Farrokh Bulsara was born (now Tanzania). With parents Bomi and Jer, sister Kashmira, and a childhood spent in India, Freddie began taking piano lessons at the age of 7.
At the age of 8, he started attending St. Peter’s School, a boarding school close to Bombay, and at the age of 12, he started the Hectics, a rock and roll cover band. At St. Peter’s, Mercury adopted the Freddie moniker; he then attended St. Mary’s School in Mumbai.
The Bulsara family moved to Middlesex, England, in 1964. Freddie attended Isleworth Polytechnic and earned an art & graphic design certification from Ealing Art College in 1969.
Roger Taylor, the drummer for Queen in the future, was a coworker of Mercury when he was employed there. Before joining Smile, a group Taylor and guitarist Brian May started in April 1970, Freddie joined a few bands, including Ibex and Sour Milk Tea.
When John Deacon, a bassist, joined the group in 1971, Mercury decided the new group should be called Queen and created the “Queen crest” as their emblem.
Queen
Mercury recorded 14 studio albums with Queen throughout his career, including “Queen II” (1972), “Sheer Heart Attack” (1974), and “News of the World” (1977), as well as two solo albums, “Mr. Bad Guy” (1985) and “Barcelona” (1988).
The best-selling album in the United Kingdom is Queen’s “Greatest Hits” (1981), which has sold more than 25 million copies globally. It received 8x Platinum certification in the US and 22x Platinum certification in the UK.
The self-titled debut album by Queen was released in July 1973, and all of their albums have received Gold or higher certification in the U.K. The band’s biggest hit, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which peaked at #1 on the charts in seven different nations, was featured in “A Night at the Opera” (1975).
In 1980, Queen also wrote the music for the movie “Flash Gordon,” which was released in December as a soundtrack. The majority of the songs were instrumental, although the Mercury and May-sung single “Flash” debuted in the top ten of the charts in three different nations.
Since Freddie realized he wouldn’t have much time left, he recorded voice and piano recordings as soon as he could, instructing May, Taylor, and Deacon to finish the tracks later.
Freddie passed suddenly while the album “Made in Heaven” was being recorded. The album was released in November 1995 and was “to the immortal spirit of Freddie Mercury,” according to the band.
Individual Life
Mary Austin and Freddie shared a home in West Kensington from 1970 until 1976 while they were dating. Mercury and Austin’s romance came to an end when Mercury revealed his sexual orientation to Austin.
During their relationship, Mercury had an affair with Elektra Records president David Minns. Mary and Freddie remained close, and Freddie claimed that Austin was the only true friend he had.
Later, he dated Jim Hutton, a hairdresser, and Winfried Kirchberger, a German restaurant. From 1985 until Freddie Mercury’s passing in 1991, Mercury and Hutton were a couple and regarded each other to be their husband.
Illness and Death
Jim Hutton claims that Freddie Mercury received an AIDS diagnosis in April 1987; nevertheless, Mercury did not publicly acknowledge his illness until November 23, 1991.
The official cause of death for 45-year-old Freddie the following day was listed as bronchial pneumonia brought on by AIDS. Only Mary Austin is aware of the location of his cremated remains; his burial service was performed at West London Crematorium on November 27.
Estate Inheritance
The majority of Freddie Mercury’s inheritance and wealth were given to Mary Austin. The remainder went to his parents and sister, and some money was designated for his cook, personal assistant, driver, and Hutton.
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Legacy
Nearly three decades after Mercury’s passing, his songs are still in demand, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We Are the Champions” have both been named the greatest songs of all time in separate polls.
With Adam Lambert singing lead, Queen continues to tour the world performing Freddie’s songs. In 2018, the band was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
In addition to having monuments erected in his honor in Montreux, Switzerland, and the West End of London (at the Dominion Theatre, the location of the Queen musical “We Will Rock You”), Mercury also has two streets, an asteroid, and a genus of frogs named after him.
In addition to Queen hosting The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness in 1992 and founding The Mercury Phoenix Trust, Freddie was inducted into San Francisco’s Rainbow Honor Walk in 2019.
In the plays “Mercury: The Afterlife and Times of a Rock God” and “Royal Vauxhall,” Mercury has been represented, while Rami Malek’s portrayal of Freddie Mercury in the 2018 film “Bohemian Rhapsody” earned him an Oscar and numerous other honors.
Honors and Awards
A number of Brit Awards, Ivor Novello Awards, Juno Awards, British Video Awards, American Music Awards, Golden Lion Awards, and Worldwide Music Awards were among the honors Mercury received before his passing.
Freddie received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 1992 after his death, and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” and “We Are the Champions” were all given Grammy Hall of Fame inductions. Along with Queen, Mercury received four Grammy nominations.
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