49 Fun Facts About Freddie Mercury

What was Freddie Mercury's birth name?

Farrokh Bulsara. He was already Fred or Freddie to his friends long before he legally took the surname Mercury around 1970, just as Queen was forming.

On which island was Mercury born in 1946?

Zanzibar. His Indian parents had moved to the East African island, then a British protectorate, for his father's job as a cashier with the colonial government.

Mercury's parents belonged to which religious community?

Parsi. Parsis descend from Zoroastrians who left Persia for India more than a thousand years ago, and his parents raised him in that faith.

Mercury was born with four extra what, which he reportedly never had fixed for fear of changing his voice?

Teeth. They pushed his front teeth forward and earned him the school nickname Bucky, and he often covered his mouth with his hand when he laughed.

Mercury wasn't the lead singer of his school band, the Hectics; which instrument did he play?

Piano. Classmate Bruce Murray sang lead while the 12-year-old Freddie played the school's old piano, picking up hits by ear after hearing them on the radio.

Which punk band replaced Queen on a 1976 TV chat show after Mercury had to pull out?

Sex Pistols. They swore live on Bill Grundy's early-evening show, and the tabloid outrage that followed made the little-known band front-page news.

Mercury shared lead vocals with which star on Queen's 1981 chart-topper 'Under Pressure'?

David Bowie. He joined Queen at a studio in Switzerland, and an impromptu session turned a bass riff into a UK number one.

In which west London town did Mercury's family settle after fleeing to England in 1964?

Feltham. They chose it because his mother's sister already lived there, and Brian May grew up in the same town, though the two only met later through music.

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

Ealing Art College. Pete Townshend and Ronnie Wood trained there too, and Mercury put his diploma to work by designing Queen's crest himself.

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

Roger Taylor. The pair sold old Edwardian clothes and silk scarves at their stall to top up the little that music was earning them at the time.

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

Smile. When its singer quit in 1970, Mercury stepped in and soon renamed the band Queen, despite the doubts of his new bandmates.

The Queen crest Mercury designed represents the members by what?

Their zodiac signs. Two lions stand for Leos John Deacon and Roger Taylor, a crab for Brian May's Cancer, and two fairies for Mercury's own sign, Virgo.

Which creature looms over the Queen crest that Mercury designed?

A phoenix. Mercury sketched the crest for the band's first album, and the firebird spreads its wings above everything else in a design that echoes a royal coat of arms.

Mercury's speaking voice fell in which range?

Baritone. A 2016 study of his interviews found a speaking pitch typical of a baritone, yet he sang most songs as a tenor, with an unusually fast vibrato.

Mercury's football-inspired anthem was which Queen hit?

We Are the Champions. Mercury, who wrote 10 of the 17 songs on the UK edition of Queen's Greatest Hits, wanted a participation song fans could latch on to, and it is now played at sports victories the world over.

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

Crazy Little Thing Called Love. The idea came to him in a hotel bath, and he said it took five or ten minutes because he knew only a few chords on the guitar.

What was Mercury's signature stage prop?

A broken microphone stand. It came away from its heavy base by accident at an early show, and he liked the short stick so much that he kept using one for the rest of his career.

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

Live Aid. In about 20 minutes at Wembley, Mercury had the whole stadium clapping in unison to Radio Ga Ga, and a 2005 poll of artists, critics and executives ranked the set first.

Weeks after the famous Wembley shows of 1986, where did Mercury play his final concert with Queen?

Knebworth Park. The date was added after Wembley sold out, and the park's owner says cameras fed the big screens but nobody pressed record, leaving no proper film of the great showman's last concert.

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

Budapest. Mercury won over the crowd by singing a Hungarian folk song from words written on his palm, and the show was released as the concert film Hungarian Rhapsody.

As 'Larry Lurex', Mercury covered 'I Can Hear Music', a 1969 hit for which California band?

The Beach Boys. A studio engineer chasing Phil Spector's Wall of Sound roped Mercury in to sing it while Queen waited for studio time, and the result came out in 1973 under the jokey alias.

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

Giorgio Moroder. Their song for his pop-scored restoration of Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis was nominated for a Razzie as worst original song, yet still reached the UK top ten.

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

Mr. Bad Guy. He said he had ideas bursting to get out that he couldn't explore within Queen, and he leaned on disco and dance sounds in place of the band's rock.

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

Living on My Own. The original stalled at number 50 in 1985, but a Belgian dance remix took it to the top almost two years after his death, his first solo number one.

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

Montserrat Caballé. Mercury had long admired her, and their title song was chosen as an anthem for the 1992 Olympics in her home city, held months after his death.

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

The Platters. Their manager Buck Ram dashed off the lyrics in a Las Vegas hotel washroom as a follow-up to Only You; Mercury's cover reached number four in the UK.

Mercury recorded demos in the early 1980s with which pop superstar, though none was released at the time?

Michael Jackson. They never finished the songs, and one of them, State of Shock, became a 1984 hit for the Jacksons with Mick Jagger as the duet partner instead.

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

Mary Austin. Their romance ended in 1976, yet he went on calling her his only true friend, and she has never revealed where she laid his ashes to rest.

What was the name of Mercury's Kensington mansion?

Garden Lodge. Fans left so many messages on its green garden door after his death that the door alone sold for £412,750 at a Sotheby's auction in 2023.

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

Munich. Queen came to record at Musicland Studios in 1979 and Mercury stayed on, finding that in the city's nightlife he could escape the British press.

What did Jim Hutton, Mercury's partner in his final years, do for a living when they met?

Hairdresser. The Irishman from County Carlow gave Mercury a gold wedding band in 1986, and the singer was still wearing it when he was cremated.

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

Kenny Everett. Handed an advance copy on the promise that he wouldn't air it, he kept 'accidentally' playing the six-minute single until fans were asking shops for a record not yet on sale.

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

Tim Curry. A keen gardener, he recalled Mercury coming home from a tour to announce 'The garden, dear, it's dead', then seeming baffled at the idea of watering it.

Mercury wrote the Innuendo track 'Delilah' about what?

His favourite cat. Delilah slept at the foot of his bed, and Brian May gave in and used a talk box so that his guitar could make 'meow' noises on the track.

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

Ibiza. He held it at Pikes, the hotel where Wham! had filmed Club Tropicana, a few months after he is said to have learned that he had AIDS.

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

The Brit Awards. Queen collected the award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music, and two years later, weeks after his death, the same prize went to Mercury alone.

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

These Are the Days of Our Lives. Shown in black and white to soften how ill he looked, the video ends with him gazing into the camera and saying 'I still love you'.

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

About a day. After years of denying the rumours, he confirmed his illness in a statement on 23 November 1991 and died at home the following evening.

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

Dave Clark. The Dave Clark Five drummer, a friend since 1976, had recruited Mercury five years earlier to sing the title song of his West End musical Time.

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

Aretha Franklin. Her recordings of Precious Lord, Take My Hand and You've Got a Friend were played before priests chanted the service in the ancient Avestan language of his parents' faith.

In which luxury car was Mercury chauffeured around London from 1979 until his death?

Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. Bought for him through his management company, the 1974 car sold at auction in 2013 for £74,600, more than six times its guide price.

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

Made in Heaven. On Mother Love, his last vocal, he went home unwell before the final verse and never returned to the studio, so Brian May sang it in his place.

A statue of Mercury stands on the lakefront in which Swiss town?

Montreux. Queen owned Mountain Studios in the town on Lake Geneva, and it was there, in 1991, that Mercury made his final recordings.

Which singer performed 'Somebody to Love' with Queen at the 1992 tribute concert for Mercury?

George Michael. The recording topped the UK chart on the Five Live EP, and its proceeds went to the AIDS charity that the Wembley concert was staged to launch.

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

Yellow. Costume designer Diana Moseley made the jacket for him along with the crown and cloak that ended each show, which sold for £635,000 at auction in 2023.

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)?

Rami Malek. Sacha Baron Cohen had been attached to the part from 2010 but walked away three years later, citing creative differences over the film.

Which comedian plays EMI executive Ray Foster in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody?

Mike Myers. It was a knowing piece of casting: his 1992 comedy Wayne's World, with its head-banging car singalong, had sent Bohemian Rhapsody back up the charts.

Who finished directing Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was fired?

Dexter Fletcher. He had first been lined up to direct the film in 2013 before dropping out, and though he finished it, Bryan Singer kept the sole directing credit.