Brian May Reflects on Freddie Mercury’s Attitude Before His Passing

Queen’s Brian May recently shared some poignant memories of Freddie Mercury during a conversation with Sammy Hagar for AXS TV.

In a clip posted on YouTube, May discussed Queen’s decision to disband after Mercury’s death in 1991. “We’d always said, ‘If one of us goes, that’s it,'” May recalled.

Despite this, Queen released a final album with Mercury’s vocals in 1995 titled Made in Heaven. This album was pieced together from a collection of vocal and piano recordings Mercury left behind in his final days. “Freddie, in his last days, was like, ‘Okay guys, I’m not gonna be here long. Just give me stuff to sing, I’ll sing. Write me stuff on the back of a cigarette packet, whatever. Just give me stuff to sing.’ So we did a lot of that,” May described.

May emphasized Mercury’s resilience during this period. “He was very undramatic about it… I never, ever saw him kind of cry or go, you know, self-pity. He never did that. He was like, ‘Let’s just do it. Let’s keep doing stuff.’

Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987, as reported by Euro News. He made his final performance at the Brit Awards in 1990. On November 22, 1991, he confirmed his diagnosis publicly, and tragically passed away the following day.

Mercury’s statement read, “Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private to date to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with me, my doctors, and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease. My privacy has always been very special to me and I am famous for my lack of interviews. Please understand this policy will continue.”

Two decades later, Queen found a new voice in Adam Lambert. They have since toured as Queen and Adam Lambert, continuing the band’s legacy. Before Lambert, Queen performed with Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company.

Source: Euro News