Freddie Mercury was a British singer-songwriter who became known internationally as the main vocalist of the rock band Queen.

With his flashy stage attitude and four-octave vocal range, he was considered one of the finest rock singers of all time. Mercury disregarded rock singer traditions with his theatrical style, which influenced Queen’s artistic direction.

Mercury was born in 1946 in Zanzibar to Parsi-Indian parents. He began attending English-style boarding schools in India at the age of eight and returned to Zanzibar after secondary school.

In 1964, his family left the Zanzibar Revolution and relocated to Middlesex, England. After years of studying and writing music, he created Queen in 1970 with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor.

Mercury composed multiple successes for Queen, such as “Killer Queen,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Somebody to Love,” “We Are the Champions,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”

His captivating stage appearances frequently featured him interacting with the audience, as seen during the 1985 Live Aid event. In addition to his solo career, he worked as a producer and guest musician for other artists.

In 1987, Mercury received a diagnosis of AIDS. He continued to record with Queen, appearing posthumously on their last album, Made in Heaven (1995).

He publicized his diagnosis the day before dying from illness complications in 1991, at the age of 45. In 1992, Wembley Stadium staged a tribute concert for him to raise funds for AIDS awareness.

After his death while a member of Queen, Mercury received inductions into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004.

He and the other Queen members received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music in 1990, and Mercury received it individually one year after his death.

The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors honored Queen with the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection in 2005. The BBC ranked Mercury 58th in their poll of the 100 Greatest Britons in 2002.

Although Mercury’s natural speaking voice was baritone, he sang the majority of his songs in the tenor register. His recognized vocal range ranged from bass low F to soprano high F. He could belt to tenor high F.

David Bret, his biographer, characterized his voice as “escalating within a few bars from a deep, throaty rock-growl to tender, vibrant tenor, then on to a high-pitched, perfect coloratura, pure and crystalline in the upper reaches.”.

Montserrat Caballé, a Spanish soprano with whom Mercury collaborated on an album, stated that “the difference between Freddie and almost all the other rock stars was that he was selling the voice.”.

She adds, “His technique was astonishing.” He sang with a sharp sense of rhythm, had excellent vocal positioning, and could easily transition from one range to another.

He was also quite musical. His wording was either subtle, delicate, and beautiful, or forceful and smashing. He was able to determine the appropriate coloring or emotive subtlety for each word.

Who is the lead singer? Roger Daltrey called Mercury “the greatest virtuoso rock ‘n’ roll singer of all time.” He could sing in any manner. He could change his manner from line to line, which, according to God, is an art. “And he was brilliant at it.”

When asked what kind of person he wanted to portray as the lead character in his musical Jesus Christ Superstar, Andrew Lloyd Webber remarked, “He has to have enormous charisma, but he also has to be a genuine, genuine rock tenor.” That’s how it is. Think of Freddie Mercury; that’s the type of range we’re talking about.”

A research team conducted a study in 2016 to better understand the attractiveness of Mercury’s voice. Professor Christian Herbst led the team, highlighting Mercury’s significantly rapid tremolo and use of subharmonics as distinguishing features of his voice, particularly when compared to opera performers.

The study team analyzed vocal samples from 23 publicly accessible Queen records, his solo work, and a series of interviews with the late musician. They also used an endoscopic video camera to look at a rock vocalist who was brought in to mimic Mercury’s singing voice.

Stadium crowds all over the world frequently witnessed Mercury’s live performances. He demonstrated a very dramatic flair that frequently elicited enthusiastic audience engagement.

The Spectator’s writer characterized him as “a performer out to tease, shock, and ultimately charm his audience with various extravagant versions of himself.”

David Bowie, who played at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert and recorded the song “Under Pressure” with Queen, lauded Mercury’s performance approach, stating, “Of all the more theatrical rock performers, Freddie took it further than the rest… he took it over the edge.” I’ve always appreciated men who wear tights. I only saw him in concert once, but as they say, he was a man who could hold an audience captive.”

According to Queen guitarist Brian May, Mercury had the ability to make “the last person at the back of the farthest stand in a stadium feel that he was connected.”

Mercury’s main prop on stage was a damaged microphone stand; after accidently snapping it off its hefty base during an early performance, he realized it could be utilized in a variety of ways.

He liked tea, and Earl Grey was his all-time favorite.

One of Mercury’s most memorable performances with Queen was at Live Aid in 1985. A committee of music executives later selected Queen’s performance at the event to be the best live performance in rock music history.

The television show “The World’s Greatest Gigs” broadcast the results. Mercury’s strong, sustained note during the a cappella portion is known as “The Note Heard Round the World.”

In a 2005 review of Live Aid, one writer observed, “Those who compile lists of Great Rock Frontmen and award the top spots to Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, etc. are all guilty of a terrible oversight.” Freddie, as proven by his Dionysian Live Aid performance, was undoubtedly the most godlike of them all.”

During his last tour with Queen in 1986, photographer Denis O’Regan photographed a defining posture of Mercury on stage—arched back, knee bent, and staring toward the sky—and observed, “Freddie was a once-in-a-lifetime showman.”.

According to Queen Roadie Peter Hince, “It wasn’t just about his voice, but also how he commanded the stage.” For him, it was important to communicate with the crowd and gain their support. And he gave his all in every show.”

During his career, Mercury played with Queen in about 700 shows around the world. Queen performances were noteworthy for their massive magnitude.

He gave the following example: “We’re the Cecil B. DeMille of rock and roll, always wanting to do things bigger and better.” The band was the first to play in South American stadiums, setting global records for concert attendance at Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo in 1981.

Queen also toured behind the Iron Curtain in 1986, when they played to an audience of 80,000 in Budapest, one of Eastern Europe’s largest rock performances ever.

An estimated 200,000 people attended Mercury’s final live concert with Queen on August 9, 1986, at Knebworth Park in England.

A week before Knebworth, May recalled Mercury stating, “I’m not going to do this forever.” This is probably the final time.”

With the British national hymn “God Save the Queen” playing at the end of the event, Mercury’s final act on stage had him clothed in a robe, holding a golden crown aloft, and waving farewell to the audience.

This paparazzi shot, taken in late September 1991, purports to be the last known photo of Freddie Mercury alive. It appeared in the Daily Mirror a few days after Mercury died on November 24, 1991.