| Freddie Mercury | |
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Mercury performing in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1977 with Queen
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| Born | Farrokh Bulsara 5 September 1946 Stone Town, Sultanate of Zanzibar (now Tanzania) |
| Died | 24 November 1991 (aged 45) Kensington, London, England |
| Cause of death | Bronchopneumonia (brought on by AIDS) |
| Resting place | Cremated at Kensal Green Cemetery, West London |
| Nationality | British[1] |
| Other names | Freddie Bulsara |
| Education | St. Peter's Boys School |
| Alma mater | Isleworth Polytechnic College Ealing Art College |
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| Years active | 1969–1991 |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
| Partner(s) | Mary Austin (1970–76) Jim Hutton (1985–91) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Rock |
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Freddie Mercury (5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter 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, he 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." Mercury also led a solo career, and also occasionally served as a producer and guest musician (piano or vocals) for other artists.
Mercury was a Parsi born in the Sultanate of Zanzibar and grew up there and in India until his mid-teens. He died of bronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS on 24 November 1991, one day after publicly acknowledging he had the disease. In 1992 he was posthumously awarded the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music, and his tribute concert was held at Wembley Stadium, London. As a member of Queen, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004, and the band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002. In 2002, Mercury was placed at number 58 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.
He has been voted one of the greatest singers in the history of popular music. In 2005, a poll organised by Blender and MTV2 saw Mercury voted the best male singer of all time. In 2008, Rolling Stone editors ranked him number 18 on their list of the 100 greatest singers ever. In 2009, a Classic Rock poll elected him the best rock singer of all time. Additionally, AllMusic has characterised Mercury as "one of rock's greatest all-time entertainers," who possessed "one of the greatest voices in all of music." (wikipedia)
