Overview

• Born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar in 1946, he moved to the United Kingdom after the 1964 revolution and emerged as Queen’s lead vocalist and songwriter.
• Queen filled stadiums on every continent across a 15-album run, powered by Mercury’s range, piano work and commanding stage presence.
• At Live Aid on July 13, 1985, he delivered a 21‑minute Wembley set before 72,000 attendees and a TV audience reported in the billions, a performance often hailed as iconic.
• Other defining moments included Rock in Rio 1985, the 1986 Magic Tour at Wembley, and his 1988 “Barcelona” collaboration with soprano Montserrat Caballé.
• Diagnosed HIV-positive in 1987, he kept his condition private, continued recording, died in Kensington on November 24, 1991 at 45, and inspired the Wembley Tribute Concert and the Mercury Phoenix Trust.