Mercury was a huge fan of The Beatles' singer and songwriter. “John Lennon was larger than life, and an absolute genius. Even at a very early stage when they were The Beatles, I always preferred John Lennon's things.
The 70s. Freddie Mercury was heavily influenced by the hard, edgy, blues-based rock acts such as Jimi Hendrix and Cream. A young Freddie began singing with bands in London, and during this time he struck up a friendship with Brain May, a guitarist and Roger Taylor a drummer who performed in the band Smile.
Inspired by the music of Jimi Hendrix and local bands, including Smile, which included guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, Mercury began performing around London. He joined Smile in 1971 when the lead singer left, and quickly changed his name to Freddie Mercury.
While they were never married (as gay marriage was illegal at the time), they were essentially a married couple. They both wore a wedding ring to show how committed they were to each another, and Freddie referred to Jim as his husband, according to The Vintage News.
Queen perform Bohemian Rhapsody at Live Aid in 1985
Originally it was MJ who pursued Freddie. Rolling Stone reported that when Jackson was spotted backstage at a Queen show in Los Angeles and asked if he was a fan of the band, he replied: "I'm a Freddie Mercury fan."
Jackson credited the “Godfather of Soul” James Brown as his major influence. Jackson grew up watching his idol on television and loved the singer's moves, which he thought were effortless, and his style.
It is often said that Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the British rock band Queen, was a huge fan of Elvis Presley. In fact, Mercury reportedly once said, “If I'm ever on my death bed, I want to hear 'Blue Suede Shoes' playing in the background.” However, it is not clear if the two ever actually met.
Freddie Mercury may have been one of the more extroverted singers of his generation but his closest friend in Queen was the quietest member. Peter Freestone was a PA to the band and witnessed the friendship from close up and has revealed what bonded Freddie with bassist John Deacon.
With a study friendship spanning 15 years, fellow singer Peter Straker was Mercury's best buddy. The West End star had bonded over the 1970s and survived it all. As Mercury's star soared, their friendship never faltered.
Freddie Mercury and Mary Austin were so close, that at one stage Freddie asked her to marry him, and he also left her half of his £75 million estate, including the £25 million Georgian mansion in Kensington. They did in fact date, and although they split up as romantic partners, they remained very close friends.
Freddie Mercury, like many other musicians, held a deep admiration for John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison. The Beatles permanently altered the music industry in the 1960s and influenced many of the artists who came after them, Mercury included.
“When we're back stage and the lights go out and the manic roar of the crowds begins, it doesn't affect me the way in which it did for Freddie Mercury, who seemed to love, relish in the the love and adoration from the crowd which is something I totally admire and envy,”(sic) Cobain wrote.
Before his death, Mercury confirmed the pair were still friends despite some musical disagreements, telling a talk show: “Oh, we're speaking to each other, we're just in different parts of the world. “He's alright, he's okay. We've been friends a long time back.”
His ability to blend highs, lows and mid range notes cohesively and with immense precision. This skill was due to the fact that Freddie was able to create faster vibrato and harmonics than any other singer at the time.
'I Get Around' – The Beach Boys. 'Careless Whisper' – Wham! 'Jailhouse Rock' – Elvis Presley. 'Woman in Love' – Barbra Streisand.
Freddie may have come across vivacious, sassy, and sharp-tongued to the outside world, but to his friends and inner circle knew him as kind, sensitive, and dependably thoughtful. Of course, there were times when his ego got the better of him - he was one of the world's biggest and best rockstars after all.
Jim Hutton, a "handsome and charismatic Irishman," worked as a hairdresser in London before meeting the music icon and becoming his lover. Jim Hutton met the Queen singer in a gay nightclub named Heaven in March 1985. The duo would go on to spend the remaining seven years of Mercury's life together.
Rami himself has revealed that he is lip-syncing, but it's not just Freddie's voice that we hear. "It is an amalgamation of a few voices," he told the Metro US. "But predominantly it is my hope and the hope of everyone that we will hear as much Freddie as possible. I think that is the goal for all of us."
4. Freddie Mercury – US$50 million. A cultural icon and the most famous face of all the members of Queen past and present, Mercury amassed a considerable fortune, thought to be worth US$50 million by the time of his death, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
"If I bump into Eric Clapton, he is my god in a sense, and I don't find it easy to talk to him because of that." May revealed he and front man Mercury, who passed away in 1991, were extremely close. "We were like brothers. We still are," he said.
Back when Bohemian Rhapsody was first announced in 2010, Sacha Baron Cohen was attached to play Freddie Mercury. Yet three years later he'd left the project over creative differences with producers, having wanted to make a more adult decadent biopic.
What a shock. He was a friend and he was a genius. I really loved him. If I could have one last conversation with anyone in my life, it's got to be Freddie.
Mercury's funeral service was conducted on 27 November 1991 by a Zoroastrian priest at West London Crematorium, where he is commemorated by a plinth under his birth name. In attendance at Mercury's service were his family and 35 of his close friends, including Elton John and the members of Queen.
It indicated the impact that John Lennon and his music had on people, even though Freddie had never met John in person.
The 25-minute ceremony ended with Freddie's favorite opera aria, Verdi's D'amour sull 'ali Rose sung by his dear friend Montserrat Caballe.