To coincide with the anniversary of the iconic singer's death, a new biography will be released this Tuesday. Entitled ‘Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury’, the book is co-written by Matt Richards and Mark Langthorne.
Freddie died at just 45-years-old from an Aids-related illness and the new book sheds light on the heartbreaking moment that he revealed just how sick he really was to his fellow band members.
In the new biography, drummer Roger Taylor admits that the band were in denial for a long time about Freddie’s illness. "We knew he was terribly ill; it was really only a confirmation of what we'd guessed. But actually hearing it was an appalling thing. For quite a long time we tried to tell ourselves it was other things," he says.
The band’s lead guitarist Brian May tells the authors that Freddie was a brave man in his last days.
“He never asked for sympathy from anyone else. He was a very strong person and always liked to be in control of his own destiny,” May states.
“There was no drama, no tears in his eyes. He was incredibly self-contained. We didn't feel we could speak about it to anyone.”
May also adds that Freddie decided not to reveal his illness to the world because he didn’t want to become part of an inevitable media circus, and, in the process, distract from the band’s music.
“He knew that if he did announce it his life would become a circus and he would be prevented from going about his business, which was making music. He wanted it to be business as usual until the end,” Brian May says in the new book.
But May admits that the other band members fond it hard to remain tightlipped over his HIV status.
“It was particularly hard lying barefacedly to our friends,” May recalls.
It was also, May adds, incredibly painful to watch his close friend’s health deteriorate and finally die from an Aids-related illness. “We had to stand by and watch this incredibly talented, strong man, in the prime of his life, gradually wasting away. There was a terrible feeling of helplessness.”
During the recording of their final album together, entitled ‘Innuendo’, Freddie’s health was so poor that the band thought he wouldn’t be able to complete it.
But Freddie insisted that 'The Show Must Go On' – an aptly titled song on the album – and, as legend has it, at one point downed a bottle of vodka to numb the pain when recording the album.
Here's Freddie singing the poignant 'The Show Must Go On'. It's amazing to think now how he had somehow managed to maintain and use his powerful and wonderful singing voice on the song while suffering such unbearable pain.