50 Fun Facts About Freddie Mercury

What was Freddie Mercury's birth name?

He legally changed his surname around the time Queen formed in 1970.

On which island was Mercury born in 1946?

It was a British protectorate then and is now part of Tanzania.

Mercury's parents belonged to which religious community?

The family practised Zoroastrianism, and a Zoroastrian priest conducted his funeral.

Mercury was born with four extra what, which he credited for his vocal range?

He was self-conscious about the overbite and often covered his mouth when he laughed.

At which Indian boarding school did Mercury form his first band, the Hectics?

It was in Panchgani, near Bombay, and it was there he started calling himself Freddie.

Which London institution displays Mercury's childhood stamp album?

He inherited his father's interest in philately and collected between ages 9 and 12.

The Bulsaras fled to England in 1964 to escape a revolution against whom?

Thousands of ethnic Arabs and Indians were killed in the uprising.

In which west London town did the family settle after arriving in England?

A commemorative star was unveiled on the town's High Street in 2009.

Where did Mercury earn his 1969 diploma in graphic art and design?

He put the training to use designing heraldic arms for the band.

Mercury sold second-hand clothes in Kensington Market with which future bandmate?

He also worked as a baggage handler at Heathrow around the same time.

Which Liverpool-based band did Mercury join in 1969?

It was later renamed Wreckage and played 'very Hendrix-style, heavy blues'.

Mercury joined May and Taylor's band in April 1970; what was it called before he renamed it?

John Deacon completed the line-up in 1971.

The Queen crest Mercury designed represents the members by what?

Two lions for the Leos, a crab for May the Cancer, and two fairies for Mercury the Virgo.

Which creature looms over the whole Queen crest?

The phoenix later gave its name to the AIDS charity set up in his memory.

Mercury's speaking voice fell in which range?

He nonetheless delivered most songs as a tenor and could reach soprano high F.

How many of the 17 songs on Queen's Greatest Hits did Mercury write?

They include Killer Queen, Somebody to Love and Don't Stop Me Now.

Which Queen hit did Mercury compose on guitar and play rhythm guitar on?

He admitted he could barely read music and had only rudimentary guitar skills.

What was Mercury's signature stage prop?

He snapped it off its heavy base by accident early on and kept using it.

Queen's set at which 1985 event was voted the greatest gig in rock history?

His sustained a cappella note became known as 'The Note Heard Round the World'.

Where did Mercury give his final live performance with Queen, in August 1986?

He left the stage draped in a robe, holding a golden crown aloft.

Queen's 1986 concert behind the Iron Curtain drew 80,000 people in which city?

It was one of the biggest rock concerts ever held in Eastern Europe.

Under what pseudonym did Mercury release a single in 1973?

He sang lead on covers of 'I Can Hear Music' and 'Goin' Back' for a Trident Studios engineer.

Mercury's 1984 single 'Love Kills' was written with which producer for a film restoration?

It was for the 1927 Fritz Lang film Metropolis and reached number 10 in the UK.

What was the title of Mercury's first solo album, released in 1985?

Its liner notes are dedicated to his cat Jerry 'and all the cat lovers across the universe'.

Which single from Mercury's first album hit UK number one as a 1993 remix?

It earned him a posthumous Ivor Novello Award.

With which Spanish soprano did Mercury record the 1988 album Barcelona?

She sang the title track at the 1992 Olympic opening with his part played on a screen.

Mercury's 1987 cover of 'The Great Pretender' was originally a hit for which group?

His version peaked at number four in the UK.

Between 1981 and 1983 Mercury recorded unreleased tracks with which pop superstar?

Their demos included 'State of Shock', which Jackson later cut with Mick Jagger instead.

Who was the woman Mercury called his 'common-law wife' and left his home to?

They met in 1969 through Brian May when she worked at the boutique Biba.

What was the name of Mercury's Kensington mansion?

After his death its outer wall became London's biggest rock-and-roll shrine.

In which German city did Mercury live for much of 1979 to 1985?

There he escaped the media spotlight and had a relationship with restaurateur Winnie Kirchberger.

What was the profession of Jim Hutton, Mercury's partner in his final years?

Hutton gave him a gold wedding band in 1986, and Mercury was cremated wearing it.

Which radio DJ played 'Bohemian Rhapsody' 14 times in one weekend before its release?

He claimed each airing was an accident: 'Oops, my finger must've slipped.'

Which Rocky Horror star became Mercury's friend and helped design his garden?

Curry recalled Mercury asking whether the garden needed watering.

Mercury wrote the Innuendo track 'Delilah' about what?

He had portraits painted of every one of his cats by the artist Ann Ortman.

On which island did Mercury throw his famously excessive 41st birthday party in 1987?

The bill at Pikes Hotel included 232 broken glasses and a cake shaped like the Sagrada Família.

At which 1990 ceremony did Mercury make his final stage appearance?

Queen collected the award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music at the Dominion Theatre.

Which music video, filmed in May 1991, shows Mercury's final scenes on camera?

Director Rudi Dolezal said AIDS was never discussed on set.

How long after publicly confirming he had AIDS did Mercury die?

The statement was released on 23 November 1991; he died on the evening of the 24th.

Which 1960s beat-group leader and close friend was at Mercury's bedside when he died?

Mercury had recorded two songs for Clark's West End musical Time in 1986.

Whose recording was played as Mercury's coffin was carried into the chapel?

A Zoroastrian priest conducted the service at West London Crematorium.

Which luxury car chauffeured Mercury, who never held a driving licence, from 1979?

His sister later had it auctioned in Birmingham for £74,600.

What was the title of the 1995 Queen album featuring Mercury's final recordings?

'Mother Love' was his last vocal; Brian May sang the verse he never returned to finish.

The statue of Mercury overlooking Lake Geneva stands in which town?

Fans gather there every September for Freddie Mercury Montreux Memorial Day.

The 1992 tribute concert at Wembley raised money to launch which charity?

An estimated one billion people watched the broadcast.

What colour was the famous military jacket Mercury wore on the 1986 tour?

Costume designer Diana Moseley made it; GQ later called it his best-known look.

Which website marked Mercury's 65th birthday in 2011 with an animated doodle?

The animation was set to 'Don't Stop Me Now'.

Who won the Best Actor Oscar for playing Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)?

Baron Cohen had been attached to the role before leaving over creative differences.

Which comedian plays EMI executive Ray Foster in the 2018 biopic?

A knowing nod to the Bohemian Rhapsody scene in his film Wayne's World.

Who finished directing Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was fired?

Singer kept sole credit under Directors Guild rules; Fletcher was credited as executive producer.