Freddie Mercury

Born Farrokh Bulsara of Parsi descent to Bomi and Jer Bulsara in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, Freddie Mercury grew up there and in India before his family relocated to Middlesex, England, in his mid-teens. In 1970, he co-founded the band Queen with Brian May and Roger Taylor, becoming their iconic frontman. Beyond his powerful vocals, Mercury was a talented pianist, composer, and record producer, contributing numerous hits to Queen's repertoire, including "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Killer Queen," "Somebody to Love," "Don't Stop Me Now," "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," and "We Are the Champions." He also pursued a solo career and occasionally served as a producer or guest musician for other artists. His stage name, Mercury, was reportedly inspired by the line "Mother Mercury, Look what they've done to me" from his song "My Fairy King," or potentially by the character Mike Mercury from the British TV series "Supercar. Mercury maintained a significant relationship with Mary Austin beginning in 1970, which concluded in 1976, and later began a relationship with Jim Hutton in 1985. In 1987, he received an HIV diagnosis. The day before his death, on November 23, 1991, he publicly acknowledged his condition. Freddie Mercury died from pneumonia, a complication of AIDS, on November 24, 1991, at the age of 45 in London, becoming the first major rock star to die of the disease. In April 1992, the surviving members of Queen established The Mercury Phoenix Trust, an organization that has since raised substantial funds for various AIDS charities.