Freddie Mercury (born September 5, 1946, Stone Town, Zanzibar [now in Tanzania]—died November 24, 1991, Kensington, London, England) was a Britishrock singer and songwriter whoseflamboyant showmanship and powerfully agile vocals, most famously for the bandQueen, made him one of rock’s mostdynamic front men.

Early life and family background

He was born Farrokh Bulsara toParsi parents who had emigrated fromIndia toZanzibar, where his father worked as a clerk for the British government. At the time Zanzibar was a Britishprotectorate, which made Bulsara a British subject at birth.

As a child, Bulsara was sent to aboarding school in Panchgani,Maharashtra state, India. Artistically inclined from an early age, he formed a band there in which he played thepiano. When Zanzibar became part of the independent country ofTanzania in 1964, Bulsara moved with his family to Feltham,England. He later studiedgraphic art and design at Ealing Technical College and School of Art (now part of the University of West London), graduating in 1969. That same year he became a registered British citizen.

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Influenced by the hard-edgedblues-based style of rock acts such asCream andJimi Hendrix, Bulsara begansinging with bands inLondon. He also became friends with guitaristBrian May and drummerRoger Taylor of the band Smile, and in 1970, when Smile’s lead singer quit, Bulsara replaced him. He soon changed the group’s name to Queen and his own to Freddie Mercury. Bassist John Deacon joined the following year. Incorporating elements of bothheavy metal andglam rock, the band debuted on record withQueen (1973), which was followed byQueen II (1974).

Despite an impressive blend of majestic vocalharmonies and layered virtuosic guitar work, Queen initially failed to attract much notice beyond theUnited Kingdom. The albumSheer Heart Attack (1974), however, shot up the international charts, andA Night at the Opera (1975) sold even better. The band’s ambitious approach to both songwriting and studio production was epitomized by the latter album’s mock-operatic single “Bohemian Rhapsody,” one of a number of Queencompositions written principally by Mercury.

By the early 1980s Queen had become an international phenomenon, drawing particular attention for its elaborately staged performances in enormousvenues. Strutting the stage in outrageous costumes, Mercury effortlessly commanded audiences in the tens of thousands. Although Queen’s commercial fortunes had begun to wane by mid-decade, the band arguably reached itsapotheosis as a live act with a stellar performance at the charity concertLive Aid in 1985.

Solo career

That same year as his triumphant performance at Live Aid, Mercury released the solo recordMr. Bad Guy, which took musical inspiration fromdisco. Mercury later appeared on the soundtrack ofDave Clark’s science-fiction musicalTime (1986) and teamed with SpanishsopranoMontserrat Caballé for the semi-operatic albumBarcelona (1988).

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Death

In 1991 Mercury announced that he had been diagnosed withAIDS. He died a day later from complications related to the disease. Until shortly before his death, Mercury had continued to record with Queen, and he was posthumously featured on the band’s final album,Made in Heaven (1995).

Legacy

Mercury’s time with Queen was dramatized in the blockbuster filmBohemian Rhapsody (2018), which includes a faithful re-creation of his Live Aid performance. AlthoughRami Malek won anAcademy Award for his performance as Mercury in the movie,Bohemian Rhapsody was criticized for itssanitized presentation of Mercury’s complicated life, particularly his sexual fluidity.

Mercury was posthumously inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame with Queen in 2001. In 2022 the U.S.Library of Congress added “Bohemian Rhapsody” to theNational Recording Registry, a list of audio recordings deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”