
He was born in Stone Town, Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania) to Parsi-Indian parents and later moved to England as a teenager.
Yes. He released solo work including the album Mr. Bad Guy (1985) and the collaborative album Barcelona (1988) with opera singer Montserrat Caballé.
Piano was his primary instrument and central to many songs; he also played guitar and contributed to arranging Queen’s music.
He is widely cited as having about a four-octave range, known for its power, flexibility and dramatic expressiveness.
Montserrat Caballé was a Spanish operatic soprano. She and Freddie recorded the album Barcelona, blending rock and opera for the title track and other pieces.
Freddie Mercury died on November 24, 1991, from complications related to AIDS; he had publicly acknowledged his illness shortly before his death.
Yes. Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2001) and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2003). A statue of Mercury stands in Montreux, Switzerland.
Yes. The 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody stars Rami Malek as Freddie and covers Queen’s rise and key moments; it won several awards.
Freddie had relationships with both men and women and is widely described as bisexual. He was private about much of his personal life.