Haines, Lester (29 September 2005), " 'We Are the Champions' voted world's fave song", The Register, London World-renowned Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballé who performed 'Barcelona' with Freddie Mercury, dies aged 85". London Evening Standard . Retrieved 22 December 2018. Hudson, Jeffrey (1995), Freddie Mercury & Queen, Chessington, Surrey: Castle Communications, ISBN 978-1-86074-040-4 . Queen News – December 2009". Brianmay.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2015 . Retrieved 27 September 2014.

a b c d "Freddie Mercury: A Full Set of 'White Glove' Sales Close on the Highest Note". Sothebys . Retrieved 21 September 2023. Love, Brian (18 January 2012). "Andrew Lloyd Webber: 'Jesus actor must have Freddie Mercury range' ". Digital Spy . Retrieved 24 November 2019.Freddie Mercury's Final Bow: Director Rudi Dolezal Recalls the Queen Legend's Poignant Last Video". People . Retrieved 23 June 2021. Barron, James; Martin, Douglas (18 February 1998). "Public Lives; Theater Records". The New York Times. Bauszus, Jan (24 November 2011). "Zum 20. Todestag von Freddie Mercury: Freddie war keine Hete, er war schwul". FOCUS Online . Retrieved 27 June 2020. Middleton, Christopher (31 August 2004), Bishton, Derek (ed.), "Freddie's rhapsody", The Daily Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 12 January 2008 , retrieved 2 May 2010 Yollin, Patricia (6 August 2019). "Tributes in Bronze: 8 More LGBT Heroes Join S.F.'s Rainbow Honor Walk". KQED: The California Report . Retrieved 16 August 2019.

Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. He continued to record with Queen, and posthumously featured on their final album, Made in Heaven (1995). In 1991, the day after announcing his diagnosis, he died from complications of the disease at the age of 45. In 1992, a concert in tribute to him was held at Wembley Stadium, in benefit of AIDS awareness. His career with Queen was dramatised in the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Hutton, Jim (22 October 1994), "Freddie and Jim, A Love Story", Weekend Magazine, The Guardian, archived from the original on 12 October 2007a b Anderson-Minshall, Diane (23 November 2016). "Freddie Mercury's Life Is the Story of HIV, Bisexuality, and Queer Identity". The Advocate . Retrieved 26 September 2020. a b O'Connor, Roisin (24 November 2016). "Freddie Mercury 25th anniversary: 5 things you may not know about the Queen legend". The Independent . Retrieved 21 January 2019. After the conclusion of his work with Queen in June 1991, Mercury retired to his home in Kensington, West London. His former partner, Mary Austin, was a particular comfort in his final years, and in the last few weeks made regular visits to look after him. [157] Near the end of his life, Mercury began to lose his sight, and declined so that he was unable to leave his bed. [157] Mercury chose to hasten his death by refusing medication and took only painkillers. [157] On 22 November 1991, Mercury called Queen's manager Jim Beach to his Kensington home to prepare a public statement, which was released the following day: [153]

a b O'Donnell, Lisa (7 July 2005), "Freddie Mercury, WSSU professor were boyhood friends in India, Zanzibar", RelishNow!, archived from the original on 18 February 2008 , retrieved 24 September 2009 Urban, Robert, Freddie Mercury & Queen: Past, Present & Future Impressions, afterelton.com, archived from the original on 31 July 2014 . Estimates of Queen's total worldwide record sales to date have been set as high as 300million. [182] In the United Kingdom, Queen have now spent more collective weeks on the UK Album Charts than any other musical act (including the Beatles), [183] and Queen's Greatest Hits is the best-selling album of all time in the United Kingdom. [184] Two of Mercury's songs, " We Are the Champions" and " Bohemian Rhapsody", have also each been voted as the greatest song of all time in major polls by Sony Ericsson [185] and Guinness World Records. [186] Both songs have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame; "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 2004 and "We Are the Champions" in 2009. [187] In October 2007 the video for "Bohemian Rhapsody" was voted the greatest of all time by readers of Q magazine. [188] Guazzelli, Andrés E. (8 February 2007), The Voice: Freddy Mercury Characteristics of his voice, Buenos Aires: f-mercury.com.ar, archived from the original on 16 April 2009In 1987, Mercury celebrated his 41st birthday at the Pikes Hotel, Ibiza, Spain, several months after discovering that he had contracted HIV. [95] Mercury sought much comfort at the retreat and was a close friend of the owner, Anthony Pike, who described Mercury as "the most beautiful person I've ever met in my life. So entertaining and generous." [140] According to biographer Lesley-Ann Jones, Mercury "felt very much at home there. He played some tennis, lounged by the pool, and ventured out to the odd gay club or bar at night." [141] The birthday party, held on 5 September 1987, has been described as "the most incredible example of excess the Mediterranean island had ever seen", and was attended by some 700 people. [142] A cake in the shape of Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Família was provided for the party. The original cake collapsed and was replaced with a two-metre-long sponge cake decorated with the notes from Mercury's song "Barcelona". [140] The bill, which included 232 broken glasses, was presented to Queen's manager, Jim Beach. [143] Before his death, Mercury had told Beach, "You can do what you want with my music, but don't make me boring." [144] Illness and death May, Brian (18 November 2016). "Freddie's Mum – R.I.P." brianmay.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021 . Retrieved 21 April 2022. a b " RollingStone.com – 100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. 3 December 2010 . Retrieved 18 November 2018. a b "A cheeky trip down memory lane". Edinburgh Festival. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022 . Retrieved 21 July 2018. In 1997 the three remaining members of Queen released " No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)", a song dedicated to Mercury and all those that die too soon. [200] In 1999 a Royal Mail stamp with an image of Mercury on stage was issued in his honour as part of the UK postal service's Millennium Stamp series. [201] [202] In 2009 a star commemorating Mercury was unveiled in Feltham, west London where his family moved upon arriving in England in 1964. The star in memory of Mercury's achievements was unveiled on Feltham High Street by his mother Jer Bulsara and Queen bandmate May. [203] Mercury statue above the West End's Dominion Theatre

Mercury, heavy metal and a jazz explosion". Traveller. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012 . Retrieved 27 September 2014. Greene, Andy (23 April 2012). "Steven Adler on Axl Rose: 'I'm Done With Him' ". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018 . Retrieved 27 July 2012. a b c Chapman, Ian (2012). Global Glam and Popular Music: Style and Spectacle from the 1970s to the 2000s. Abingdon, England: Routledge. pp.86, 87. Mehar, Rakesh (18 September 2006), "God Should've Saved the Queen", The Hindu (Kochi), New Delhi: hinduonline.com, archived from the original on 6 June 2011 {{ citation}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL ( link). Mercury spent most of his childhood in India where he began taking piano lessons at the age of seven while living with relatives. [13] In 1954, at the age of eight, Mercury was sent to study at St. Peter's School, a British-style boarding school for boys, in Panchgani near Bombay. [14]a b c d "Inside the studio where Freddie Mercury sang his last song". The Telegraph. 25 October 2015. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Brown, G. (19 April 1992), "Queen's popularity takes ironic turn", The Denver Post, Denver: MNG, Section D