His death
was the result of bronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS."
Freddie Mercury was
a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and
lyricist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his
flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range. As a
songwriter, Mercury composed many hits for Queen, including "Bohemian
Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "Somebody to Love",
"Don't Stop Me Now", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and
"We Are the Champions". In addition to his work with Queen, he led a
solo career, and also occasionally served as a producer and guest musician
(piano or vocals) for other artists.
Relationships
In the early
1970s Mercury had a long-term relationship with Mary Austin, whom he had met
through guitarist Brian May. He lived with Austin for several years in West
Kensington. By the mid-1970s, however, the singer had begun an affair with a
male American 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." He also wrote several songs about Austin, the most notable
of which is "Love of My Life". 
"Love of My
Life" is a ballad by the English rock band Queen from their 1975 album A
Night at the Opera. The song was written by Freddie Mercury about Mary Austin,
with whom he had a long term relationship in the early 1970s. After performing
the song in South America in 1981, the version from their live album Live
Killers reached number 1 in the singles chart in Argentina and Brazil, and
stayed in the charts in Argentina for an entire year.
Freddie Mercury
wrote it on the piano and guitar first, Brian May rearranged the song for
acoustic 12-string guitar to facilitate live performances. May contributed
occasional guitar phrases to the original recording and played the swooping
harp glissandos by pasting together multiple takes of single chords. The song
is an example of Mercury's familiarity with rubato phrasing, showcasing his
classical piano influences, notably by Chopin and Beethoven.
With its similar lyrical
theme, later single "These Are the Days of Our Lives" would hearken
back to "Love of My Life", twice using the line "I still love
you". At the end of "These Are the Days of Our Lives", Mercury
simply speaks those words, as he would often do in live versions of "Love
of My Life."
Love of my life lyrics
Love of my life,
You hurt me,
You broken my
heart,
Now you leave me
Love of my life
can't you see,
Bring it back
bring it back,
Don't take it
away from me,
Because you don't
know what it means to me
Love of my life
don't leave me,
You've stolen my
love you now desert me,
Love of my life
can't you see,
Bring it back
bring it back,
Don't take it
away from me,
Because you don't
know what it means to me
You will remember
when this is blown over,
And everything's
all by the way,
When I grow
older,
I will be there
at your side,
To remind how I
still love you
I still love you
I still love you
Hurry back hurry
back,
Don't take it
away from me,
Because you don't
know what it means to me
Love of my life,
Love of my life
In his will,
Mercury left his London home to Austin, rather than his then partner Jim
Hutton, saying, "You would have been my wife and it would have been yours
anyway". Mercury was also the godfather of Mary's oldest son, Richard.
During the early
to mid '80s, he was romantically involved with Barbara Valentin, an Austrian
actress, who is featured in the video for "It's a Hard Life". By
1985, he began another long-term relationship with hairdresser Jim Hutton
(1949-2010). Hutton, who was tested HIV-positive in 1990, lived with Mercury
for the last six years of his life, nursed him during his illness, and was
present at his bedside when he died.
to be continued
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