November 24: On This Day in World History … briefly
Freddie Mercury, one of rock’s most flamboyant characters, died of AIDS at the age of 45.
1991: Legendary Freddie Mercury dies of AIDS
Farrokh Bulsara (5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991), known professionally as Freddie Mercury, was a British singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. He was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range. Mercury wrote numerous hits for Queen, including ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Killer Queen’, ‘Somebody to Love’, ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, and ‘We Are the Champions’. He led a solo career while performing with Queen, and occasionally served as a producer and guest musician for other artists.
Mercury was born of Parsi descent in Zanzibar, and grew up there and in India before moving with his family to Middlesex, England, in his late teens. He formed Queen in 1970 with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Mercury died in 1991 at age 45 due to complications from AIDS, having confirmed the day before his death that he had contracted the disease.
In 1992, Mercury was posthumously awarded the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music, and a tribute concert was held at Wembley Stadium, London. As a member of Queen, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2002, he was placed number 58 in the BBC’s 2002 poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.
Mercury was voted best male singer of all time in a 2005 poll organised by Blender and MTV2; was ranked at 18 on the 2008 Rolling Stone list of the 100 greatest singers ever; was ranked the second best lead singer in a 2011 Rolling Stone readers’ pick – and was described by AllMusic as ‘one of rock’s greatest all-time entertainers,’ with ‘one of the greatest voices in all of music’.
On the evening of 24 November 1991, just over 24 hours after issuing that statement, Mercury died at the age of 45 at his home in Kensington. The official cause of death was bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS. Mercury’s close friend, Dave Clark of the Dave Clark Five, had taken over the bedside vigil when he died. Austin phoned Mercury’s parents and sister to break the news of his death, which reached newspaper and television crews by the early hours of 25 November.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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