On April 20, 1992, London's Wembley Stadium convirió in a sea of tears. There, 72,000 -a fans who joined around telespectadores- billion paid tribute with a farewell to a unique star: Freddie Mercury. Five months earlier, the legendary Queen singer died because of bronchopneumonia complicated by AIDS. Tomorrow marks 25 years without him. Unforgettable are the Queen tours with big concerts before hundreds of thousands of fans. The rather shy Mercury, with his bushy mustache and equipped with teeth, was transformed on stage in a dervish dancing bare-chested, his fist raised to the sky and the microphone holder accompanying him everywhere. The public adored him, says his biographer, Lesley-Ann Jones. "It was what I needed, a huge audience that was in perfect harmony with it. The music freed Freddie". As extravagant as his performances on stage, with a staging like a rock opera, it was his private life. "His nightmare was found empty bedroom," once he told a friend. Both his friends and his fans speculated again and again about their sexual orientation, but Mercury never said a word about it. Perhaps he feared his many conservative fans could turn away. However, he did give some clues. It appears, like the rest of the band members, dressed housewife in the video for "I Want To Break Free". And for many, "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975) is a subtle out of the closet. Mercury always refused to interpret it in public. "I think it would lose its 'mythos' and ruin a kind of mystique that people have created around it," he argued. It may be precisely why, and his multifaceted musical construction, which was named best song of all time.
Mercury was born on September 5, 1946 in the then British territory of Zanzibar (now owned by Tanzania) with the name Farrokh Bulsara cell. His family, of Indian origin, decided to send eight years at a boarding school near Bombay to have a better education. It was so far away I could only see his family once a year, with a long boat trip. Not surprisingly, says his biographer, the stage became his world because he was "upset, hurt and constantly looking for attention." His family practiced Zoroastrianism, a faith that regarded homosexuality as a grave sin. In the early 60 he broke a revolution in Zanzibar and the family fled to the outskirts of London, where there was a Zoroastrian community. Freddie was a formal but ambitious young man who soon became part of the "swinging London". He discovered Jimi Hendrix, gave free rein to his passion for extravagant clothes and opened a stall in Kensington Market stores legendary. In 1970 he founded the rock band Queen with Brian May on guitar and Roger Taylor on drums. Bassist John Deacon joined later. His explosive combination of theatricality and heavy rock did blow up all the boundaries of the genre. However, Mercury hid his exotic origin and was the most "British" as he could.
Four years later came the international success with the hit "Killer Queen", although they were the anthems "We Will Rock You", "Do not Stop Me Now" and "A Kind of Magic" those who became millionaire superstars. Queen filled stadiums around the world and especially Freddie began to be known for his decadent lifestyle. In the late 80s, Mercury retired to his luxurious mansion in Kensington, with 24 rooms- and only saw him leave, visibly thin, to go to the doctor. Of course, the tabloids speculated, but the singer of 45 years did not recognize that he was sick with AIDS until Saturday November 1991. "time for my friends and fans around the world know the truth has come," he said apologizing for the silence. The next day, on 24 November, he died. In the "Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert" Wembley Stadium acted the other members of Queen and stars like Metallica, Elton John or Roger Daltrey. Revenues were allocated to the fight against AIDS. The most exciting moment of the night scored David Bowie and Annie Lennox, who sang for the first time live "Under Pressure". Although in life Mercury was a superstar, after his death reached the zenith of fame and Queen sold more records than ever.
