Roadhouse Magazine Issue 27

Queen would successfully make a comeback when they decided to perform what would become their most iconic performance — the 1985 Live Aid Concert at Wembley Stadium. On an eighteen-minute clock, the band played for nearly an hour. They had an unfair advantage against the rest of the performers, as he knew very well how to work a stadium crowd. The Live Aid concert was the best performance of their musical careers, and the band knew it. After what felt like a dry spell of music creativity, they felt a new surge of life come through them. Once again, the musicians felt unstoppable. They were ready to take on the world once more. They were filling stadiums and people came in starving for Queen. But something wasn’t quite right with their lead singer. There was a feeling in the air that suggested this may be one of his last major performances. Unfortunately, that would prove true. Nevertheless, Freddie’s outstanding performance would make it one of the most iconic in music history along with Queen’s final performance at Wembley Stadium in 1986. Freddie knew he wasn’t well. As the crowd cheered, beneath the charismatic surface that made him the face of Queen, Freddie was hiding one vital secret: he was HIV positive. His partner, Jim Hutton, says he was diagnosed in 1987. The public wouldn’t know about his condition until the last days of his life. The band was devastated when they heard the news. Knowing he didn’t have much time left, he decided he wasn’t going to lay in bed waiting to die. He was going to write and sing music until his very last breath. And that’s exactly what he did. Freddie Mercury died shortly after turning 45 years old on November 24, 1991. He passed away surrounded by his loved ones in his home in London from complications related to his diagnosis. He left everything he owned to his dearest friend Mary Austin. He gave us music at its purest form, untarnished by what was expected of music during his generation. He became an iconic symbol in the rock and roll community that continues to touch many lives generation after generation. Over twenty-five years later, his legacy reminds us to be strange and remain true to ourselves. T hough we as fans know how much his music influenced the masses, the public knew very little about his personal life. In the midst of celebrity and rising fame, who (aside from his bandmates) was by Freddie’s side? That would be a woman by the name of Mary Austin. They met before Freddie was the frontman of Queen in 1969, and it’s around this time that Freddie and Austin were very much together and in love. Their relationship was built on trust and friendship and after a few months of getting to know one another, they moved in together. Austin was there before and after Freddie was in Queen. Because of her love, loyalty, and companionship, he inevitably popped the question. She was very surprised that he asked her to marry him but agreed nevertheless. They would never marry, for good reason. After six years of living together, and without any surprise, Freddie came out to Austin and confided that he was bisexual. Austin, on the other hand, was convinced that he was in fact very much a gay man and was still struggling with his sexual identity. Regardless, Austin remained in Freddie’s life as a close friend. After Freddie admitted to Austin he was bisexual, he openly dated both men and women. Aside from having a close relationship with Austin, Freddie also had a relationship with Jim Hutton. They met at a bar in 1984 and by 1985 the pair were inseparable. In their relationship, the two wore wedding rings in public, as Freddie saw Hutton as his husband. The couple lived together until Freddie’s untimely death. 43 RHM Magazine - roadhouse.net.au