Freddie Mercury died in 1991 at the age of 45.
Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara and he was born in Zanzibar.
He had a wealthy childhood until he and his family had to flee a bloody revolution. His family are Parsees, followers of the Zoroastrian religion whose ancestors came from Persia.
Despite only revealing his illness days before he died, he dropped many hints about his failing health during his last 1986 tour, most famously in a brief speech before performing “Who Wants To Live Forever” at Wembley.
However, unfortunately, Freddie Mercury succumbed to an AIDS-related illness in 1991 when he was just 45 years old. If he had survived he would be 73 years old today.
He died in Kensington, from Bronchopneumonia.
Freddie himself never publicly came out as gay or bisexual but did tell The NME in December 1974, “Let’s put it this way: there were times when I was young and green. It’s a thing schoolboys go through. I’ve had my share of schoolboy pranks. I’m not going to elaborate further.”
In an interview with THEGAYUK.com a close friend, Barbara Hulanicki creator of the BIBA brand, where Mercury’s then-girlfriend, Mary work revealed, “….one day I came across a very distraught Mary crying her eyes out and when I asked what the matter was, she told me that Freddie didn’t know if he was going to be gay or straight.”
