Queen: Love of My Life

I like this song - Love of my life by Queen. Interesting to note the late singer has great fondness for cats and at one point, owned as many as ten. : )



Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British musician, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Queen (inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001). He is noted for his vocal abilities and for his live performances. As a songwriter, he composed many international hits, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "Somebody to Love", "We Are the Champions" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". In addition to his work with Queen, he also produced several hits as a solo artist. Mercury, who was of Indian Parsi descent and who grew up in India, has been referred to as "Britain's first Asian pop star." He died of AIDS in 1991.

In the early 1970s Mercury had a long-term relationship with a girlfriend named Mary Austin, with whom he lived for many years. However, by the mid-1970s, the singer began an affair with a male record executive at Elektra Records, which ultimately resulted in the end of his relationship with Austin. Mercury and Austin nevertheless remained close friends through the years, with Mercury often referring to her as his only true friend. In a 1985 interview, Mercury said of Austin, "All my lovers asked me why they couldn't replace Mary (Austin), but it's simply impossible. The only friend I've got is Mary, and I don't want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that's enough for me. I couldn't fall in love with a man the same way as I have with Mary." Mercury also wrote several songs about Austin, the most notable of which is "Love of My Life".

By 1980, he began to frequent gay bathhouses and clubs in New York, where he met many short-term partners. Inspired by Glenn Hughes of the Village People, Mercury also began to grow a moustache at around this time. By 1985 he began another long-term relationship with a hairdresser named Jim Hutton. Hutton lived with Mercury for the last six years of his life and wrote a book called "Mercury and Me" about his reliationship with the singer.

Although he cultivated a very flamboyant stage personality, several sources refer to Mercury as having been very shy in person. He also granted very few interviews. Mercury possessed a notable overbite of his teeth that he had wanted to fix for many years. Early in his career, he commented that he wished to have work done, but later stated he was scared it might affect his voice. According to the January 2004 edition of Cat Fancy, Mercury possessed a great fondness for cats, at one point owning as many as ten. The album Mr. Bad Guy and the song Delilah were dedicated to cats, and Mercury wore clothes featuring cats in videos (such as the video clip for These Are the Days of Our Lives).

Mercury died on November 24, 1991 at the age of 45, the same day as Kiss drummer Eric Carr. He died at home, in his bedroom. The official cause of death was bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS. Although he had not attended religious services in years, Mercury's funeral was conducted by a Zoroastrian priest. Singer Elton John and the remaining members of Queen attended the funeral. He was cremated at Kensal Green Cemetery and the whereabouts of his ashes now are unknown.

In his will, Mercury left the vast majority of his wealth including his home and recording royalties to Mary Austin and the remainder to his parents and sister. He further left £500,000 to his chef Joe Fanelli, £500,000 to his personal assistant Peter Freestone, £100,000 to his driver Terry Giddings, and £500,000 to his partner, Jim Hutton. Mary Austin continues to live at Mercury's home, Logan Place, Kensington, with her family.