The mystery of the death of one of the best musicians of the millennium, Freddie Mercury, Queen. Freddie Mercury: biography, personal life, cause of death

The Ininsky rock garden is located in the Barguzinskaya valley. Huge stones as if someone deliberately scattered or placed on purpose. And in places where megaliths are placed, something mysterious always happens.

One of the attractions of Buryatia is the Ininsky rock garden in the Barguzin valley. It makes an amazing impression - huge stones scattered in disorder on a completely flat surface. As if someone deliberately either scattered them, or placed them on purpose. And in places where megaliths are placed, something mysterious always happens.

Power of nature

In general, the “rock garden” is the Japanese name for an artificial landscape in which stones, arranged according to strict rules, play a key role. "Karesansui" (dry landscape) has been cultivated in Japan since the 14th century, and it appeared for a reason. It was believed that gods lived in places with a large accumulation of stones, as a result of which the stones themselves began to be given divine significance. Of course, now the Japanese use rock gardens as a place for meditation, where it is convenient to indulge in philosophical reflections.

And philosophy is here. Chaotic, at first glance, the arrangement of stones, in fact, is strictly subject to certain laws. First, the asymmetry and size difference of the stones must be respected. There are certain points of observation in the garden - depending on the time when you are going to contemplate the structure of your microcosm. And the main trick is that from any point of observation there should always be one stone that ... is not visible.

The most famous rock garden in Japan is located in Kyoto, the ancient capital of the samurai country, in the Ryoanji Temple. This is the home of Buddhist monks. And here in Buryatia, the "rock garden" appeared without the efforts of man - its author is Nature itself.

In the southwestern part of the Barguzinskaya Valley, 15 kilometers from the village of Suvo, where the Ina River emerges from the Ikat Range, this place is located with an area of ​​more than 10 square kilometers. Significantly more than any Japanese rock garden - in the same proportion as the Japanese bonsai is smaller than the Buryat cedar. Here, large blocks of stone, reaching 4-5 meters in diameter, protrude from the flat ground, and these boulders go up to 10 meters deep!

The removal of these megaliths from the mountain range reaches 5 kilometers or more. What kind of force could scatter these huge stones at such distances? The fact that this was not done by a person became clear from recent history: a 3-kilometer canal was dug here for irrigation purposes. And in the channel channel here and there lie huge boulders, going to a depth of up to 10 meters. They fought, of course, but to no avail. As a result, all work on the channel was stopped.

Scientists put forward different versions origin of the Ininsky rock garden. Many consider these blocks to be moraine boulders, that is, glacial deposits. Scientists call the age different (E. I. Muravsky believes that they are 40-50 thousand years old, and V. V. Lamakin - more than 100 thousand years!), Depending on which glaciation to count.

According to geologists, in ancient times the Barguzin basin was a shallow freshwater lake, which was separated from Lake Baikal by a narrow and low mountain bridge connecting the Barguzin and Ikat ridges. As the water level rose, a runoff formed, which turned into a river bed, which cut deeper and deeper into solid crystalline rocks. It is known how storm water flows in spring or after heavy rain wash away steep slopes, leaving deep furrows of gullies and ravines. Over time, the water level dropped, and the area of ​​the lake, due to the abundance of suspended material brought into it by rivers, decreased. As a result, the lake disappeared, and in its place there was a wide valley with boulders, which were later attributed to natural monuments.

But recently, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences G.F. Ufimtsev offered very original idea which has nothing to do with glaciation. In his opinion, the Ininsky rock garden was formed as a result of a relatively recent, catastrophic, gigantic ejection of large-block material.

According to his observations, glacial activity on the Ikat Range manifested itself only in a small area in the upper reaches of the Turokcha and Bogunda rivers, while in the middle part of these rivers there are no traces of glaciation. Thus, according to the scientist, there was a breakthrough of the dam of the dammed lake in the course of the Ina River and its tributaries. As a result of a breakthrough from the upper reaches of the Ina, a mudflow or ground avalanche threw a large amount of blocky material into the Barguzin valley. This version is supported by the fact of severe destruction of the bedrock sides of the Ina River valley at the confluence with the Turokcha, which may indicate the demolition of a large volume of rocks by mudflows.

In the same section of the Ina River, Ufimtsev noted two large “amphitheatres” (resembling a huge funnel) measuring 2.0 by 1.3 kilometers and 1.2 by 0.8 kilometers, which could probably be the bed of large dammed lakes. The break of the dam and the release of water, according to Ufimtsev, could have occurred as a result of manifestations of seismic processes, since both slope "amphitheaters" are confined to the zone of a young fault with outcrops of thermal waters.

Here the gods were naughty

An amazing place has long interested local residents. And for the "rock garden" people came up with a legend rooted in hoary antiquity. The start is simple. Somehow, two rivers, Ina and Barguzin, argued, which of them would be the first (first) to reach Baikal. Barguzin cheated and set off on the road that same evening, and in the morning the angry Ina rushed after her, in anger throwing huge boulders out of her way. So they still lie on both banks of the river. Isn't it just a poetic description of a powerful mudflow proposed for explanation by Dr. Ufimtsev?

The stones still keep the secret of their formation. They are not only different size and colors, they are generally from different breeds. That is, they were not broken out from one place. And the depth of occurrence speaks of many thousands of years, during which meters of soil have grown around the boulders.

For those who have seen the Avatar movie, on a foggy morning, Ina's stones will remind you of hanging mountains around which winged dragons fly. The peaks of the mountains jut out of the clouds of mist like individual fortresses or the heads of giants in helmets. The impressions from contemplating the garden of stones are amazing, and it was not by chance that people endowed the stones with magical powers: it is believed that if you touch the boulders with your hands, they will take away negative energy, instead bestowing positive energy.

In these amazing places there is another place where the gods were naughty. This place was nicknamed "Suva Saxon Castle". This natural formation is located not far from a group of salty Alga lakes near the village of Suvo, on the steppe slopes of a hill at the foot of the Ikat Range. The picturesque rocks are very reminiscent of the ruins of an ancient castle. These places served as a particularly revered and sacred place for Evenki shamans. In the Evenk language, "suvoya" or "suvo" means "whirlwind".

It was believed that it was here that spirits lived - the owners of local winds. The main and most famous of which was the legendary wind of Baikal "Barguzin". According to legend, an evil ruler lived in these places. He was distinguished by a ferocious disposition, he took pleasure in bringing misfortune to the poor and indigent people.

He had an only and beloved son, who was bewitched by spirits as punishment for a cruel father. After realizing his cruel and unfair treatment the ruler fell on his knees to the people, began to beg and tearfully ask to restore his son's health and make him happy. And he distributed all his wealth to people.

And the spirits freed the son of the ruler from the power of the disease! It is believed that for this reason the rocks are divided into several parts. There is a belief among the Buryats that the owners of Suvo, Tumurzhi-Noyon and his wife, Tutuzhig-Khatan, live in the rocks. Burkhans were erected in honor of the Suva rulers. AT special days rituals are performed in these places.

Freddie Mercury (real name Farrukh Balsara) is a British singer of Parsi origin. Frontman, songwriter and mastermind legendary band queen.

Childhood of Freddie Mercury

Farrukh Balsara was born in 1946 in the Stone Town of Zanzibar Island, Tanzania. His father Bomi was a cashier at the Supreme Court of England and Wales and made good money, so the family did not need anything.

When Farrukh was 5 years old, his parents moved with him and his sister Kashmira to Bombay. The boy was sent to a boarding school 150 km from the largest city in India, where he showed himself to be a capable and diligent student, was fond of creativity and sports. At this time, Farrukh became interested in music: the Bollywood singer Lata Mengeshkar had a special influence on him, and later the boy began to be interested in rock and roll. The future musician began calling himself Freddie.

In 1959, the whole family moved to London, where, after graduating from school, in 1965 Farrukh entered the eminent Ealing College. There he studied design, painting, was fond of ballet. Freddie's idols at that time were Jimi Hendrix and Rudolf Nureyev, he devoted his dissertation to the work of the first.

Queen Times

At the end of training, Freddie met Liverpool group Ibex. 10 days after the first meeting, Mercury already knew the entire repertoire of the musicians, added several of his own songs to it and went to the first concert in his life as part of the blues festival in Bolton. Despite the successful performance and subsequent concerts, the group quickly broke up, as some of the participants returned to their studies.

In 1970, Freddie, replacing his former classmate, joined the members of the youth rock band The Smile - Roger Taylor and Brian May. A year later, bass player John Deacon joined them, and in this line-up began a 20-year star story legendary group called "Queen", which was proposed by Freddie himself.

After the formation of the group, Mercury created their coat of arms: the coat of arms of Great Britain formed the basis and images of the zodiac signs of the members of the musical union were added, namely two lions, cancer and a maiden.

Queen - "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Mercury played a leading role in shaping the entire concept of the group, including the musical one: he is the author of the vast majority of compositions, for example, the lyrical ballad “Love Of My Life” (1975), the unique “Bohemian Rhapsody”, as well as the song “We Are The Champions "(1977), which became the anthem of sports fans.

Queen - "We Are The Champions"

In 1972, Freddie adds the pseudonym Mercury to his assumed name, which means "mercury" or "mercury, plastic." In the same year, the group released their first album "Trident", which became popular overnight. The high-quality stadium rock and variety of genres in which the musicians worked delighted listeners, many compared them to The Beatles.

Mercury was not limited to working in a group and recorded solo discs. His single "Love Kills" (1984) and the album "Mr. Bad Guy (1985), which he dedicated to his cats. During long trips on tour, Freddie could talk to them on the phone for hours, and their portraits were depicted on one of his vests.

Interview with Freddie Mercury (1987)

Together with Montserrat Caballe, Mercury recorded classical opera arias, released on the disc "Barselona" (1988), and the title single was honored to become the anthem of the 1992 Olympics.

Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe - Barcelona

Mercury was not only an outstanding musician, but also an outstanding actor. Thanks to this, each concert of the group turned into a real show: his unique, so easily recognizable voice, was complemented by a bright temperament, emotionality, plasticity. The video clips of the group were the result of Mercury's desire to combine theater and music, sound and lighting effects - he was the author of most of the scripts for the videos.

Queen - "The Show Must Go On"

Personal life of Freddie Mercury

In the early 70s, Freddie had a long relationship with Mary Austin, whom he was introduced to by bandmate Brian May. Mary worked as a manager at the Biba store, which was a hotspot for young people at the time. After 7 years, Mercury admitted his bisexual orientation, which served as the end of their romance, but until the end of their lives they remained close friends. Mary was for Freddie a part of his family - it was she who, during the difficult struggle of the singer with the disease, told his parents the mourning news.

Freddie himself often said that he always loved Mary and under other circumstances she would have become his wife. Most he bequeathed his $28 million fortune to her.

In 1985, Freddie began a relationship with hairdresser Jim Hutton that continued until his death. Hutton cared for Mercury during the last days of his life, and after that he wrote a book called Mercury and Me.

Mercury had an overbite caused by having 4 extra teeth. When his career was just beginning, he wanted to fix his overbite, but he was afraid that this might worsen his vocal abilities.

Illness and death

In 1986, the first rumors appeared about his illness with the immunodeficiency virus. Members of the group stubbornly denied them, but a day before his death, Mercury made an official statement that he had AIDS. The terminally ill Mercury continued to perform for five years.

On November 24, 1991, Freddie died of bronchopneumonia caused by HIV infection. The singer's body was cremated, and only Mary Austin and his family know about the location of the ashes - that was Mercury's desire. Later, fans found this place - London's Kensal Green Cemetery

Heritage

Songs that did not have time to be published during Mercury's lifetime were included in the album "Made in Heaven" ("Made in Heaven", 1995). One of Mercury's dying orders was to transfer the proceeds from the re-release of the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" to the AIDS Charitable Foundation. Terrence Higgins.

Freddie Mercury is a British singer of Parsi origin, songwriter, vocalist of the rock band Queen. His voice is considered one of the greatest in the history of music, and his songs are still known and sung all over the world.

About how Freddie Mercury managed to reach such heights, we will tell in this.

Biography of Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury (birth name - Farrukh Balsara) was born on September 5, 1946 in the Zanzibar Stone Town.

His father, Bomi Bulsara, worked as a cashier at the Supreme Court. Mother, Jer Bulsara, was engaged. After Farrukh, a Kashmiri girl was born in the family.

Mercury spent most of his childhood in India. At the age of 7, he began to take lessons. A year later, the parents sent their son to study at St. Peter's School.

According to his relatives, the work of the singer Lata Mangeshkar paid great attention to him.

At school, in addition to traditional subjects, students were taught cricket and long-distance running, which the future rock musician did not like at all.

Instead, he preferred to play field hockey and was also into boxing.

Freddie with sister Kashmira

The young man had good physical data, thanks to which he won school tennis competitions in the third grade. At the age of 12, he won the cup in the youth all-around.

In addition, Freddie Mercury was keenly interested in. He sang and listened to rock and roll, which was just beginning to gain popularity.

However, his greatest interest was in music.

The first who drew attention to his abilities was the director of the school.

He personally wrote a letter to the parents of the student, in which he insisted that their son continue to study the piano.

According to friends, as soon as Freddie heard new song on the radio, he immediately sat down at the piano, and by ear began to reproduce the melody he heard.

In 1958, Mercury founded a rock band with friends. At rehearsals, the guys sang famous songs that time. In 1962, Mercury graduated from high school and returned home.

After 2 years, political unrest began in Zanzibar, as a result of which the family had to move to.

Path to glory

In England, Freddie Mercury began to study at Islesworth, where he studied art and wrote. Later, these skills helped him create the coat of arms of the Queen group.

Due to financial difficulties, the future singer had to look for a part-time job. For some time he worked as a loader, but he always said that this was only a temporary phenomenon in his life.

Over time, Mercury wanted to live separately from his parents. Together with a friend, he rented an apartment in which they often held rehearsals. Freddie's favorite guitarist was Jimi Hendrix, still considered one of the most outstanding guitarists in history.

Soon, Mercury met Tim Staffel, who was the frontman of the Smile group, as well as other members of this group. Sometimes he was invited to rehearsals, which he was very interested in attending.

In 1969, Freddie graduated and decided to open a small shop with Roger Taylor. It sold various works Mercury, as well as other art objects.

In the same year, he met the members of the Ibex musical group. He was so impressed with the work of the group that after a few weeks he knew all their songs by heart.

However, the team soon broke up. An interesting fact is that it was during this period that Freddie began to write his own compositions.

Since even in his youth he wanted to become a musician, he decided to look for a job in this area. After reviewing a lot of different ads, Mercury decided to audition for the Sour Milk Sea group, which required a vocalist.

The band's musicians liked Mercury's unusual voice and the way he behaved on stage. After a couple of weeks, the group began to give concerts. However, this team also broke up, as a result of which Freddie was forced to start all over again.

1970-1982

In 1970, the lead singer left the Smile group, replaced by Freddie Mercury. After several joint rehearsals, the team members decided to change their name to "Queen".

In 1972, Farrukh Balsara decided to take creative pseudonym- Freddie Mercury, with whom he will go down in history.

In this composition, they managed to record a lot of songs that allowed them to go on tour. Every year, Queen's songs became more and more popular.

Queen group

In 1980, when the great Russian bard died, Mercury decided to change his image. He began to wear short hair, and grew a black mustache. It is in this form that in the future it will become known to the whole world.

1983-1988

In 1982, the musicians of Queen decided to suspend creative activity because they are tired of countless concerts and moves.

However, Freddie himself did not want to stop, but rather sought to work even harder. He was able to write a number of songs and record a solo album.

In 1983, Mercury met with famous singer Montserrat Caballe, which made a strong impression on him. A few years later, Mercury gave her a cassette with his songs.

Caballe appreciated his work, and a few weeks later they began work on joint project. As a result, the duo recorded a record, the songs from which they then jointly performed at various festivals.

It seemed to the rock singer that he was just beginning his creative way, and major successes are yet to come. However, he soon learned that he had AIDS.

After that, he recorded an album that traced the theme of his illness. Last time legendary leader group "Queen" appeared on the scene in the fall of 1988.

Mercury's personal life

Freddie Mercury had incredible charisma and charm.

Mercury and Mary Austin at a Queen party, July 1986

In 1969, he met Mary Austin, with whom he was together for 8 years.

Over time, Freddie began to be interested not only in women, but also in men. When Mary found out about this, she decided to end her relationship with Mercury.

At the same time, it is worth noting that the couple broke up very peacefully, and throughout the rest of the singer's life maintained friendly relations.

Later, Austin even became the personal secretary of a former boyfriend.

After Mary, Freddie had many women, but he did not have real feelings for any of them. The only and beloved girl of his whole life was Mary Austin.

He dedicated many songs to her, and also bequeathed his own mansion with a huge courtyard.

Freddie Mercury children

Mercury himself always wanted to have children, which he often admitted to friends. However, he did not succeed in leaving behind offspring. Fans of the artist believed that this was due to his unconventional orientation.

He himself did not like to answer such questions, and in every possible way avoided this topic. The musician's friends stated that Freddie was gay, which he himself did not hide.

Freddie Mercury before his death

For the first time, rumors that Mercury had AIDS appeared in 1986. The press began to actively discuss this topic, which aroused great interest in society.

Queen fans claimed that the musician had noticeably lost weight, which further confirmed the presence of a fatal illness. It is worth noting that publicly Freddie denied that he had AIDS. Only friends and relatives knew the truth.

Realizing that he had very little time left to live, Mercury wanted to record as many songs as possible. He spent a long time in the studios, sparing no effort and time.

The last video clip featuring Freddie Mercury was filmed in black and white. This was done on purpose so that the audience could not notice the critical state of his health.

On November 23, 1991, the musician admitted that he was indeed HIV-positive, since it was no longer possible to hide this fact.

He transferred all rights to his work to a foundation formed to protect seriously ill people. 4 years after the death of the great rock singer, another album was released with his compositions.

How did Freddie die?

Freddie Mercury died on November 24, 1991 at the age of 45. official reason his death is thought to be bronchopneumonia caused by AIDS.

When fans learned of the death of the musician, they gathered near his house to say goodbye to him. Flowers, notes, posters and other items lay everywhere.

Singer's funeral

The funeral of Freddie Mercury took place according to Zoroastrian customs, although in life he did not adhere to the rules of this religion. Parents insisted on observing all traditions. The ceremony was attended by various famous personalities.

Freddie's body was cremated and the ashes given to Mary Austin. About where the remains of the musician were buried is still unknown to anyone, except for close relatives.

In his will, Mercury bequeathed the bulk of the funds to Mary, parents, and sister Kashmira. Interestingly, besides them, he left enough large sums people who worked with him.

Despite the fact that Freddie Mercury died almost 30 years ago, his popularity has not diminished at all. In his honor, various music festivals are organized and monuments are erected.

In 2002, Freddie Mercury was ranked 58th in a poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.

In 2008, Rolling Stone ranked him #18 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Vocalists of All Time list.

Allmusic has described him as "one of the greatest rock singers and possessor of one of the greatest voices in the history of music."

If you liked the biography of Mercury - share it in in social networks. If you generally like the biographies of great people - subscribe to the site website. It's always interesting with us!

Liked the post? Press any button.

Freddie Mercury (eng. Freddie Mercury, real name Farukh Balsara, gudzh.
September 5, 1946, Stone Town, Zanzibar - November 24, 1991, London, UK) - British singer and musician of Parsi origin, vocalist of the rock band Queen.

(Total 29 photos)

Freddie Mercury was born on September 5, 1946 on the island of Zanzibar in the Parsi family of Bomi (1908 - 12/25/2003) and Jer (09/29/1922 -?) Balsara. At birth, the boy received the name Farukh, which means “beautiful”, “happy”. Farukh's father was a cashier at the Supreme Court of England and Wales.

In 1952, Freddie had a sister, Kashmira. In 1954, Farukh's parents assigned Farukh to St. Peter's School in Panchgani, 500 kilometers from Bombay. There Freddie began to live with his grandfather and aunt. The name "Farukh" was inconvenient for classmates to pronounce (mostly English-speaking), so friends began to call him Freddie.

At the age of ten, he became the champion of the school in table tennis, at the age of twelve he received a cup for victory in the youth all-around, as well as a diploma "for success in all sciences and arts." Freddie studied well, showed interest in music and painting, and constantly made drawings for friends and relatives. He also sang in the school choir and participated in performances.

FROM early years Freddie was fond of music. Singing took up almost all of his free time, sometimes to the detriment of his studies. On the musical ability Freddie was noticed by the headmaster of St. Peter's School. He wrote a letter to the boy's parents, in which he offered to organize piano lessons for Freddie for a small fee. Parents agreed, and Freddie began to study with enthusiasm. Upon graduation, he received a fourth degree in theory and practice (Eng. Piano Grade IV).

In 1958, five friends from St. Peter's School - Freddie Balsara, Derrick Branche, Bruce Murray, Farang Irani and Victor Rana created their first rock band, which they called The Hectics (Russian Fidget). The band played at school parties, dances and anniversaries. Since childhood, Freddie has always been embarrassed by his unusual teeth, and therefore, when he smiled, he covered his mouth with his hand. This habit remained with him even when he became an adult ...

In 1962, sixteen-year-old Freddie graduated from St. Peter's School in Panchgani and returned to Zanzibar. In early 1964, the British government handed over Zanzibar to the Arab Sultan, and a week later, Zanzibar was proclaimed an independent state. Due to political unrest in the country, the Balsar family, having captured only two suitcases with clothes, flew to the UK.

Arriving in England, the Balsar family first stayed with relatives who lived in Feltham, Middlesax, then they bought own house. Freddie, who by that time was eighteen years old, entered Islesworth Polytechnic School, where he studied mainly painting, as he wanted to go to art college. The family had problems with money, so Freddie had to earn extra money during the holidays. At first he worked in the supply department of Heathrow Airport in London, then as a loader in the Feltham warehouse.

In May 1966, after graduating from Islesworth with a high score in painting, he was interviewed at the Ealing College of Art in London, where he began to study at the department of graphic illustration in the autumn of that year. Shortly thereafter, Freddie left parental home and moved into a rented apartment in Kensington with his friend Chris Smith. Kensington in those years was the heart of London bohemia and art. Freddie drew a lot, a special place in his drawings was occupied by his idol - guitarist Jimi Hendrix.

In the summer of 1969, twenty-three-year-old Freddie graduated from Ealing with a diploma in graphic design. Freddie soon moved in with Roger Taylor, and they opened a shop in Kensington Market, selling both Freddie's paintings and other merchandise. On August 13, Freddie met the Liverpool group Ibex. Ten days after the meeting, Freddie already knew the entire repertoire of the group, added a few of his songs and went with them to their first joint concert, in Bolton, Lancashire. Their concerts were held as part of the annual blues festival, so the events were covered by the press.

In September-October 1969, at the suggestion of Freddie, the group was renamed Wreckage (“Wreckage”), and Freddie went to the trick to convince everyone to change the name of the group. After the renaming, Wreckage played a few gigs, but soon, largely due to the fact that Mike Berzin returned to Liverpool to study, the group broke up. Freddie decided to find himself new group. Among the announcements in Melody Maker, he found a vacancy for a vocalist in the group Sour Milk Sea (“Sour Milk Sea”), but soon the existence of Sour Milk Sea ended.

At the end of 1969, Freddie Mercury met Mary Austin in West Kensington thanks to Brian May, with whom he lived for about seven years. But then they broke up. One day everything changed when Freddie admitted that he had to tell her something very important; something that will change their relationship forever. Mary explains: “I was a little naive and it took me a while to realize the truth. In the end, he was glad he told me he was bisexual.” Mary decided it was time to leave, but he convinced her not to go far.

They remained close friends, Mercury made her his personal secretary, and it was often admitted that Mary is his only a true friend. In an interview in 1985, Mercury said: “All my lovers ask me why they can’t replace Mary for me. But it's just not possible. She is my only friend and I don't need anyone else. She was actually my wife. We believe in each other and that's enough for me." The singer dedicated several songs to Mary, of which the most significant is the song "Love of My Life". Mercury was the godfather of Mary's eldest son, Richard, and left her his mansion after his death.

In April 1970, Tim Staffel decided to leave Smile, and Freddie took the place of the vocalist in their group. On his initiative, the group was renamed Queen. After the line-up of the group became permanent, Freddie decided to draw her coat of arms. According to one version, the coat of arms of Great Britain was taken as the basis, with Latin letter Q, around which are "woven" zodiac signs members of Queen: two Lions - John Deacon and Roger Taylor, a crab crawling out of the fire - the sign of Cancer - Brian May. Above all the figures rises the Simurgh bird - the sacred symbol of Zoroastrianism, symbolizing the freedom of the spiritual from the earthly. Two fairies with wings are good helpers for the heroes from the British epic.

In 1972, while recording Queen's debut album at Trident Studios, Freddie decided to change his surname Balsara to the creative pseudonym "Mercury" (eng. Mercury - "Mercury" and "Mercury"). Freddie wrote the first Queen song to hit the UK charts, "Seven Seas of Rhye" (1973). He also composed the band's first hit, "Killer Queen" (1974), as well as Queen's most successful song, "Bohemian Rhapsody". The song was predicted to fail due to its length being too long by the standards of that time for a single and for playing on commercial radio stations and mixing several styles and genres of music. But Queen released the song as a single, filmed a video clip for it, which became a revolution in music videos, some even call it "the first video clip", although clips for songs were filmed before.

In 1975, Queen toured Japan. The musicians were extremely surprised by the warm reception of the Japanese fans of the group. Brian May recalled: “We had some success in England and the US, but we had never seen such bigotry and adoration before. Suddenly in Japan we started to feel like real stars like The Beatles and Bay City Rollers, people greeted us with shouts of delight, which was news to us.” Freddie fell in love with Japan and became a fanatical collector of Japanese art.

On October 7, 1979, Freddie's old dream came true - he performed with Royal Ballet(English). He chose the songs "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" for his performance. In 1980, Freddie changed his image - he cut his hair short and grew a mustache.

Freddie Mercury had a brief relationship with the famous Austrian actress Barbara Valentin, whom he met in 1983. Mercury spoke of their relationship: “Barbara and I have created an alliance that has been stronger than with any of my lovers in the last six years. I could really tell her everything and be myself with her, which happens to me very rarely. The musician also mentioned her among others in the dedication of his solo album Mr. Bad guy.

The image of Freddie Mercury from the very beginning of his popularity raised a lot of questions about his orientation, but Mercury always avoided talking about his personal life, laughing it off or answering vaguely. In a 1984 interview with the Canadian magazine Music Express, he stated: "They always tried to put me in the same box with gays. At first it was presented like this: I'm bisexual; then they started talking about the appearance of a hermaphrodite, in addition, I did not resist some gossip, because they contributed to catchy headlines. If you're hinting at my sexual preferences: very simple - I do it with the one I love. And there is no secret bottom. My personal life does not concern anyone." However, Mercury once admitted: “I had more lovers than Liz Taylor - of both sexes - but my connections did not end with anything. It's like I devour people and destroy them."

July 13, 1985 was a special day for Queen and Freddie. On this day, the Live Aid concert took place - a grand show at Wembley Stadium, where 75 thousand spectators were present and many famous performers, such as Elton John, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Sting, U2 and many others (in parallel with the Wembley Show, there was a concert in Philadelphia). The concert was broadcast on television all over the world, that is, it was watched by more than a billion people! With their performance, Queen secured their place in history, and all reviewers, journalists, fans and critics were unanimous that the group became the highlight of the program.

A year later, on July 12, 1986, Queen played again at Wembley Stadium as part of the Magic Tour in support of A Kind of Magic. This concert was attended by over 120,000 people and was later published as Queen at Wembley. The final show of the tour at Knebworth on August 9 was Queen's last performance with Mercury. In March 1987, Freddie Mercury met Montserrat Caballe in Barcelona and presented her with a cassette of several of his new songs. These songs made a strong impression on Caballe, and she even performed one of them at a concert in London, at Covent Garden, to the surprise of Freddie Mercury.

In early April 1987, Mercury and Caballe began work on a joint album. At the end of May, a music festival was held at the famous Ku-Club on the island of Ibiza, where Mercury and Caballe were guests of honor. They performed the song "Barcelona" at the festival, which Freddie Mercury dedicated to Caballe's hometown.

In 1986, rumors began to appear that Freddie Mercury had AIDS. Initially, information was leaked to the press that he was taking an HIV test. Since 1989, serious changes in Mercury's appearance began to appear - he lost a lot of weight. However, until the last days of his life, the musician denied all rumors about his health. Only close people knew about his terrible diagnosis.

In 1989 group Queen gave the first in several years joint interview on the radio, where she announced that she wanted to deviate from the usual “album-tour” scheme, and therefore she would not go on tour this time. The real reason was that the physical condition of the vocalist of the group did not allow concerts.

Mercury, knowing that there was little time left, tried to record as many songs as possible. Per last years life, in addition to his solo album "Barcelona", the musician managed to record songs for three more albums of the group. During his lifetime, two albums were released - The Miracle, which was released in 1989 and Innuendo, released in 1991. Also, several video clips were shot for the songs of these albums. For the last lifetime album, the clips were filmed in black and white to disguise the physical condition of the band's vocalist. After the death of Freddie Mercury, the remaining members of the group, using recordings of his voice, were able to release the last album, Queen Made in Heaven, in 1995.

On November 23, 1991, Freddie made an official statement that he had AIDS: “Given the rumors that have been circulating in the press for the past two weeks, I want to confirm: my blood test showed the presence of HIV. I have AIDS. I considered it necessary to keep this information secret in order to keep the peace of my family and friends. However, the time has come to tell the truth to my friends and fans around the world. I hope everyone will join the fight against this terrible disease." He also ordered that all rights to the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" be transferred to the Terence Higgins Foundation, created to fight AIDS and HIV.

The next day, November 24, at about seven o'clock in the evening, Freddie Mercury died at his home in London from bronchial pneumonia that developed on the background of AIDS, he was 45 years old. After the news of his death became known, thousands of people came to the fence of his Garden Lodge to place bouquets of flowers, postcards, letters and photographs on the paths. Mercury fans lost their idol, Clark lost a friend: "He was like a rare painting that cannot be repeated."

The funeral of Freddie Mercury was held behind closed doors - only relatives and friends were present. Although the musician no longer followed Zoroastrian beliefs as an adult, his Zoroastrian parents conducted the funeral ceremony in accordance with their beliefs, with the exception of the cremation of the body, which, according to the customs of Zoroastrianism, is not welcome. Freddie Mercury's body was cremated. Only Mary Austin knows where the ashes of the musician lie - that was his desire.

November 25, 1996, 5 years after the death of Freddie Mercury, in Montreux (Switzerland), where the musician worked and rested for many years, a monument was unveiled to him. Initially, Queen musicians planned to erect a monument in London, and during four years they sought a place for him there, but they were refused. The only site proposed by the government for a monument in London was the backyard of the art college where Freddie studied. Friends considered this an insult to the memory of the great musician. On June 18, 2003 in London near the Dominion Theatre, where performances of the We Will Rock You show are regularly held, another monument about 8 meters high was unveiled.

The song "Bohemian Rhapsody", which was written by Freddie, was recognized as " best song millennium" according to The Official Charts Company[. Freddie's second equally famous (and, perhaps, surpassed it in popularity) song was and remains "We Are The Champions", which was in rotation on almost all US radio stations, not to mention the fact that this composition became the unofficial anthem of the winners major sports competitions.

On November 23, 1991, Freddie Mercury confirmed rumors that he had AIDS. He died the next day, but five years earlier he had been tested for HIV, which turned out to be positive. This prompted the musician to be active - what did he do?

"The more problems I have, the better my songs"
- Freddie Mercury

Mercury's first project in this last stage of his work was the creation of a solo album. Mercury came to Munich to record it, he did not want to be distracted by anything else. And indeed, in the German city, he felt more free than ever. According to album producer Reinhold Mack, Freddie once approached him and said: “It's great, I can eat sausages on the street and no one bothers me! I'm happy that I can be like everyone else." Although it is unlikely that he liked to be like everyone else, always. In 1985, a record called Mr. bad guy. Mercury specifically chose such a symbolic title for the album, by "bad guy" he meant himself.
Freddie called his album a trip to the left: he did not want solo career, because then, according to him, he would have to re-affirm himself. And a year later, the Queen group gave a concert in Budapest, which was attended by 80 thousand people. At the performance, Mercury appeared in the role of a man who controls his own destiny: he jumped around the stage, climbed the ladders that filled the venue, and, as always, turned the concert into theatrical performance. And the last performance of Freddie as part of Queen took place on August 9, 1986 in England: a record 300 thousand people came to it.

"I remember on last concert Freddie cursed and said: "I can't take it anymore!"
— Brian May, Queen guitarist
But Freddie did not stop solo work. 1987 was a very quiet year for Queen, and Mercury used it to record a few more solo songs. The result was a track like The Great Pretender.

“He chose this song because he was a pretender himself. Freddie was a shy person who hid behind his stage persona."
— Paul Gambacchini, radio host and friend of Mercury

The same year became significant for Mercury - he met Montserrat Caballe. He first saw her at a London concert. During the performance, Freddie jumped in his chair, pointed to the stage and rejoiced like a 12-year-old boy who first saw the Beatles. Soon Mercury was already flying to Barcelona to meet opera diva. He gave her a cassette of two of his songs to listen to. Caballe liked them so much that she later performed them in Covent Garden. Freddie was extremely happy. Already in April, they began working on a joint album. A month later, at the closing of the festival in Ibiza, Mercury and Caballe sang a song that Freddie wrote in honor of the diva and her hometown- Barcelona.

On October 8, 1988, Freddie and Montserrat appeared at the La Nit festival in Barcelona. They presented three tracks from their album - How Can I Go On, The Golden Boy and Barcelona. And the long-awaited album, Barcelona, ​​was finally released two days later, on October 10th. The title track of the album of the same name eventually became one of the anthems of the summer Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992. But Freddie won't know about it anymore.

Solo album, recording with Montserrat Caballe, concerts - Mercury unfolded vigorous activity. But he had less and less strength left. This was proven in 1989. Coming out in May album Miracle. The symbolic name - "Miracle", indeed, a miracle: at the same time, Freddie began to change greatly in appearance - he lost a lot of weight, but continued to deny all the rumors about his health. Only the closest people knew about his diagnosis. After the release of the album, Queen gave their first joint radio interview in several years. The band members said that they decided not to stick to the album-tour plan and therefore would not go on tour. But the real reason for the deviation from this scheme was the physical condition of Mercury. He was no longer able to give everything at the concert the way he always did. HIV has already turned into AIDS.

In February 1991, Mercury stepped into the studio to begin work on the video for I'm Going Slightly Mad. The film crew was shocked: instead of a smooth-shaven and muscular Freddie, a ghost appeared before them - Mercury's clothes hung, and his gray face was covered with spots. He had nine more months to live. Everyone was immediately warned that the shooting would take place intermittently, because the singer had problems with his knee - no one wanted to say the word "AIDS". A bed was placed in the singer's dressing room so that he could rest, and two bodyguards were on duty outside. For filming, Freddie's face was covered with a thick layer of makeup and his head was covered with a black wig. To hide his painful thinness, they also resorted to tricks: under the suit, the singer put on a sweater with long sleeves.

Then in February, the group released their latest album Innuendo - "Innuendo". The album also included Mercury's swan song Show Must Go On. This composition was written especially for Freddie by Brian May, he was one of the few who knew about Mercury's illness.

On November 23, 1991, Freddie Mercury said: “Given the rumors that have been circulating in the press for the past two weeks, I want to confirm: my blood test showed the presence of HIV. I have AIDS. I considered it necessary to keep this information secret in order to keep the peace of my family and friends. However, the time has come to tell the truth to my friends and fans around the world. I hope everyone will join the fight against this terrible disease."

A day later, at seven in the evening, Freddie died. Before he died, he wrote the script own funeral, he wanted to turn them into a real show - must it go on? Mercury was buried according to the rite of the ancient Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism, which was practiced by his parents. The ceremony lasted only 25 minutes: Freddie's coffin was covered with a white silk cloth, a red rose was placed on top. There were funeral prayers in the ancient Iranian language, songs of the favorite singer of the musician Aretha Franklin, an aria from the opera Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi performed by Caballe. Freddie's body was then cremated. By will, only Mary Austin, "the love of his life," knows where his remains lie.