In the last days of Freddie Mercury and the death of AIDS at 45



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Nearly 27 years after the death of Queen Freddie Mercury's leader, he continues to be an enigma.

Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991, is at the center of a Queen's biopic that speaks of her life – and shocking death at the age of 45.

Born in 1946 in Farrokh Bulsara, Tanzania, Mercury was an extremely private person who rarely gave interviews to journalists.

Even though he had to face scrutiny from the press from 1986, when rumors circulated that he would have been tested for HIV / AIDS, Mercury kept his health problems for himself and his closest friends.

Diagnosed with the deadly disease in 1987, the news of her declining health led Queen to the brutal end of the Magic tour This has been seen by more than a million people – making it one of their biggest tours.

Around the same time, Mercury denied being tested positive for the disease.

Freddie Mercury at Live Aid in 1985

Freddie Mercury at Live Aid in 1985

Phil Dent / Redferns

Despite the singer's denials, the media's attention to his health intensifies and feeds on Mercury photographs published in the British press, showing him increasingly fragile and lean.

In one of his last public appearances, a meager Mercury joined band members Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon on stage at the 1990 Brit Awards in London, where they accepted the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to the music.

While the singer "Do not Stop Me Now" has continued to fight his illness privately, he has not stopped working. In May 1991, a very thin Mercury appeared in Queen's video, entitled "These are the days of our lives," in what would be her last video for the band.

The quartet went to a studio in Montreux, Switzerland, where their final recording as a band with Mercury was realized.

"We all knew that there was not much time left," May said. The telegraph in 2013. "Freddie wanted his life to be as normal as possible. He obviously suffered a lot of pain and discomfort.

May added, "For him, the studio was an oasis, a place where life was always the same. He loved making music, he lived for that.

Freddie Mercury in 1967

Freddie Mercury in 1967

George Wilkes / Hulton / Getty Archives

Towards the end of his life, all that Mercury wanted was peace.

"He was pursued by the press and curious people," May told the newspaper. "He just wanted peace and quiet, to be able to continue what he did."

The singer might have wanted to be left alone by the press, but he was always hungry for music.

"He did not stop saying," Write me more. Write me some stuff. I just want to sing that and do it and when I'm gone, you can finish it. "There was no fear, really," May recalls.

Mercury returned to London at the beginning of November 1991, telling his group companions: "I do not feel very well, I think I should talk like one day. I'll finish it when I come back next time, "said May.

The singer "Someone to love" has never come back.

On November 23, 1991, Mercury issued a statement obtained by The Guardian by the time he finally confirmed that he was HIV-positive for HIV / AIDS.

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"Following the huge conjecture in the press over the past two weeks, I wish to confirm that I've been tested positive and that I have AIDS," reads the release. "I felt good about keeping this private information to this day to protect the privacy of those around me."

"However, the time has come for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope everyone will join me, my doctors and everyone around the world to fight this terrible disease, "he said.

"My privacy has always been very special to me and I'm famous for my lack of interviews," continued Mercury. "Please understand that this policy will continue."

The next day, November 24, Mercury died at his home in Kensington. The mourners created a shrine for the singer in front of his home with graffiti messages lined up on the outside wall of the house after his death.

May said The telegraph he could not believe the news when he heard them.

Freddie Mercury at the 1990 Brit Awards

Freddie Mercury at the 1990 Brit Awards

John Rodgers / Redferns

"We were all wondering if there was an illusion and he was going to heal," he said. "You can not really take these things properly. Then we had the phone call.

"It was surreal," explained May. "Even though we had been preparing for so long, it still did not seem possible to us."

The guitarist said it was only when he saw the news on television that the reality finally settled.

"We all met to talk and have a drink before we saw it on TV," he said. "Strangely, it's at that moment that it seemed real for the first time. You thought, "Oh my God, he's really gone and everyone knows it now. It can not be resumed. & # 39; "

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Remaining Queen members paid tribute to Mercury during a benefit concert held in April 1992 at Wembley Stadium in front of an audience of about 72,000 people.

Elton John, David Bowie, George Michael, Seal, Annie Lennox, Robert Plant, Axl Rose and Slash, as well as Liza Minnelli and others performed at the benefit concert where the proceeds of the sale went to launch of the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity.

The biopic of Queen is on the bill Friday.

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