One of the icons of rock and music in English would be 77 years old on September 5, 2023. We are talking about Freddie Mercury, the legendary lead singer of the English band Queen.
Given this significant event, Sotheby’s, a well-known London-based auction house, announced the sale of a batch of more than 1,500 objects that belonged to the charismatic and equally controversial performer of the band.
These objects come from Garden Lodge, the mansion where Freddie Mercury resided from 1980 until his tragic death in 1991as a result of complications related to HIV AIDS.
The decision to auction these items was made in agreement with Mary Austin, who was the singer’s partner from What in for six years and one of his closest friends. Part of the auction proceeds will go to two charities: Mercury Phoenix Trust, founded in Freddie’s honor by Brian May and Roger Taylorand the Elton John Aids Foundation, which tirelessly fights against AIDS.
The auction is scheduled to take place in London from Wednesday, September 6 to September 11 of this year.
Among the objects that will be auctioned, the original drafts of csongs composed by Freddie Mercuryincluding “Don’t Stop Me Now”, “We Are the Champions” and arguably his most iconic work, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which comes as the second most valuable item in the collection, with a base price of 1.5 million One thousand dollars.
The most outstanding and valuable article of the Freddie Mercury collection is the black baby grand piano Yamaha G2 Baby Grand, the artist’s most prized instrument, with an estimated value of nearly four million dollars.
In addition, memorabilia related to the artist include his cape and crown worn during Queen’s last tour, “God Save The Queen”, in 1986, a collection of works by renowned artists such as Henri Matisse, Utagawa Hiroshige, Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso, musical instruments, personal documents, photographs, furniture and jewelry.
Freddie Mercury’s last song
Freddie Mercury, known for his unwavering love of music, he continued his passion even in the most difficult moments of his illness, which led to his sad departure. Next, we will tell you about his latest song.
In a gesture of support and friendship, Brian May, friend and bandmate in Queen, encouraged Freddie Mercury recording one last song that would become his emotional farewell to his millions of followers around the world.
According to international reports at the time, in early 1991, Freddie Mercury was already severely affected by HIV. Her body depended on morphine to relieve the intense pain.
However, those who were close to the vocalist of What in they claimed that his talent and spirit remained intact, allowing him to complete one of the most moving songs of his career.
“Mother Love”, a song from 1995, addresses themes of unrequited love, heartbreak and the hope of finding the right person. However, the song also reflects on the irreplaceable relationship between mother and son, where the protagonist longs to return to the womb in search of protection.
Unfortunately, Freddie Mercury could not finish recording the song, stopping at the penultimate verse to express: “I don’t feel so good, I think I should leave it for another day.” The relentless disease he suffered from AIDS would no longer allow him to return to the studio. It was then that Brian Maythe guitarist of What intook lead vocals to complete the emotional song, creating a tense, sad and moving atmosphere.
Undoubtedly, “Mother Love” has become a painful memory that fans will hold as the latest work of the musical idol. Freddy Mercury.
Keep reading:
Guitarist Brian May is knighted by the British Empire
The Queen group releases the unpublished song “Face it alone”, with the voice of Freddie Mercury
10 fascinating facts about Freddie Mercury to learn more about his story 30 years after his death
The luxurious and legendary Freddie Mercury cars that he never drove
Denial and isolation: this was Freddie Mercury’s terrible reaction to discovering that he had HIV