Just a few months ago, I wrote about what would have been Freddie Mercury's 75th birthday. On November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury passed away due to pneumonia, a complication of AIDS. Freddie's health had been declining for years, though he never disclosed it to the public. Just the day before, he put out a statement to the press confirming that he was diagnosed with AIDS. There was widespread speculation that Freddie did have AIDS, but he was hesitant to share his diagnosis. Sadly, Freddie purportedly lost his sight towards the end of his life, and he was gravely ill.
I was in high school in the fall of 1991 and was concerned with high school things. And as I shared in my last post, I came of age musically when Queen was not as prevalent as they were in the late 70s and early 80s. I remember his passing, but I do not remember as much as I would have liked. I was preoccupied with my own teenage worries. And as I am about to talk about, Freddie became even more revered and respected after his passing. Thankfully, I do remember that there was not a lot of backlash and unkindness. Unfortunately, there was no shortage at the time of discrimination against the LGBT community. People here in America believed that AIDS was a consequence of a "sinful lifestyle" and were not compassionate towards those who were afflicted. Yet, I do not remember a lot of that. I just remember a lot of reporting, for which I am grateful.
Right around that time, Bohemian Rhapsody surfaced in the movie Wayne's World and enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the United States. In April 1992, there was a tribute concert at Wembley Stadium with proceeds going to AIDS charities. It was a grand tribute, with Elton John, David Bowie, George Michael, Metallica, Def Leppard and U2 among its performers. The remaining members were not sure how the band would continue without Freddie, but they did release his final recorded album in 1995. As the years passed, it seems like Freddie's talents were regarded as some of the best of all time. He was rated second as the best lead singer/frontman of all time by both Rolling Stone and Billboard. A whole new generation of fans would see videos of Freddie's performances and realize his brilliance. I was one of them. I never realized how amazing he was at the time, but I was probably too young to understand the nuance of performance. I cannot tell you how many times I have rewatched Radio Gaga's performance at Live Aid since it became available.
Freddie's life was portrayed in the 2018 movie Bohemian Rhapsody. While some of it was fictionalized, it was still highly respected and nominated for numerous awards. Rami Malek, who in and of himself is an amazing talent, won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Freddie. He stated in an interview that he studied Freddie's Live Aid performance for months so that he could fully get down his mannerisms, and he did. Even though it was fictionalized at times, I just loved the movie because it was a wonderful, talented actor who did his absolute best to give credit to his subject. Freddie's music lives on and on through the radio, videos, and online. His fellow bandmembers contributed to AIDS charities after his death and are still deeply affected by his passing.
November 24, 1991 will always be a dark day in musical history. No matter where Freddie ends up on any major lists, there will never be another Freddie Mercury. He was bold, original, and larger than life in his own unique way. He was comfortable being the queen that he was and dared boldly to bring his style of showmanship to the stage. There may be some who come after him, but there will never be anyone quite like Freddie.
Godspeed. You will forever be frozen in time.
