Born in 1946 to Persian parents living in Zanzibar, Farrokh Bulsara displayed great musical ability from an early age. Owing to political unrest, his family migrated to England when he was 17. At that time school friends began calling him Freddie. Though he graduated from Eaton College in 1969 with a degree in art and design, his passion had become music. In 1970 he joined the band ‘Smile’ — which would evolve into ‘Queen’ — and soon after he adopted the surname ‘Mercury’. His huge voice and four octave vocal-range combined with a dynamic stage persona to make him a sensation. A skilled glamrock showman — energetic, cocky, charismatic — and adept at connecting with an audience — Mercury knew how to entertain. Queen and Mercury sought to be innovative in the recording studio and experimented in styles with such diverse hits as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, ‘We Are The Champions’, ‘Radio Gaga’, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, ‘Killer Queen’, and ‘You’re My Best Friend’. In 1985, among a superstar lineup, Queen and Mercury stole the show at Live Aid, the fundraising concert for African famine relief. Always open about being bisexual, Mercury rose above detractors by the sheer magnitude of his talent. Wanting only to be remembered for his music, and not wishing to be seen as an object of pity or curiosity, Mercury chose to avoid public disclosure of having advanced HIV disease and lived the final months of his life in seclusion. On November 23, 1991, he announced that he had AIDS and died the following day of bronchial pneumonia.
The Legacy Project recognizes the many roles Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered people have played in the advancement of world history and culture. “THE LEGACY WALK” – the only outdoor International GLBT History Museum in the World – is coming to North Halsted Street in Chicago to be dedicated on October 11, 2011.
For information, to donate or to volunteer, go to www.legacyprojectchicago.org
