He went down as one of the very best rock singers ever and the first to admit he had contracted HIV at a time (1991) when no one was coming clean despite being hounded relentlessly by a headline-hungry media.
He was also among the most emulated, imitated and beloved performers of all time.
Now, late Queen singer Freddie Mercury's touching final screen appearance has aired as part of a documentary. Screened last night on England’s BBC Two, Queen: Days Of Our Lives, according to a report in The Independent, includes footage of the flamboyant singer, painfully thin from the effects of the HIV virus which would kill him just months later but determined to complete his final video shoot.
In the doc (the video clip is below) Mercury is shown applying make-up and checking his image and performance on screen monitors before stepping carefully onto the stage and delivering a solo performance of the band's 1991 single "These Are The Days Of Our Lives."
He exits the frame after whispering the final line "I still love you." His death from AIDS-related pneumonia, at the age of 45, was announced in November 1991, one day after he issued a statement saying he was suffering from the disease.
The Independent adds that the footage emerged during a five-year trawl through the Queen archives by Rhys Thomas, the comedic actor, who co-produced the documentary.
The documentary shows the band sitting in a space-age car having a cigarette in between takes for the Metropolis-influenced video for "Radio Ga Ga" in 1984 - reportedly the inspiration behind the monicker of a famous contemporary female American singer you may have heard of.
Thomas is quoted as saying: "The footage of Freddie in his final video is shocking. He is so frail, he needs two hands to hold a champagne glass. But he knows he is being filmed and wants to show people what he was going through."
Brian May, Queen's guitarist, said of Mercury's final scenes: "At this time, Freddie's becoming weakened by this horrible disease, but he'd throw a couple of vodkas down and prop himself up on the mixing desk and go for it.
"He spent hours and hours in make-up sorting himself out so it'd be OK," May added. "He actually says a kind of goodbye in the video."
We'll let you know when the video is available on North American shores.
After watching this video I am speechless, I have always loved Queen but this sitting here and watching him is almost like surreal. It is so hard to believe that he is gone, no words can express how sad I am that this happened to one of the most beloved singers ever to record. His life was too short and I know he had so much more to give to his fans. Now we will mourn forever. Whenever I hear Freddie sing, where ever I am, I stop and listen till the end. He is captivating in his talent and I will forever miss him. Love you Freddie.
Still miss you Freddie! This video brought tears to my eyes. As mentioned, I too stop and listen whenever I hear your recording. Your talent, your voice, YOU will live on forever. Your life was too short. We miss YOU but YOU will be with us forever. Thank you for the courage to stand up about AIDS. Lost my cousin to this dreadful disease. Thank you for being YOU. Miss you.
After watching this video I am speechless, I have always loved Queen but this sitting here and watching him is almost like surreal. It is so hard to believe that he is gone, no words can express how sad I am that this happened to one of the most beloved singers ever to record. His life was too short and I know he had so much more to give to his fans. Now we will mourn forever. Whenever I hear Freddie sing, where ever I am, I stop and listen till the end. He is captivating in his talent and I will forever miss him. Love you Freddie.
Posted by: Kanuck | 05/31/2011 at 01:14 PM
The first concert that I ever went to was Queen.
Amazing band. Amazing voice.
God bless.
Posted by: rhodry | 05/31/2011 at 01:54 PM
What a shame - he was a great performer and it's really admirable that he stepped forward in spite of the stigma.
Posted by: Anthony | 05/31/2011 at 02:38 PM
Long time!!!!
Still miss you!!
Video brought tears to my eyes.
Such a GREAT ARTIST silenced.
Posted by: Ms Vicki | 05/31/2011 at 03:06 PM
An alltime best performer all around. Still miss ya Freddy....
Posted by: duggco | 05/31/2011 at 03:09 PM
Still miss you Freddie! This video brought tears to my eyes. As mentioned, I too stop and listen whenever I hear your recording. Your talent, your voice, YOU will live on forever. Your life was too short. We miss YOU but YOU will be with us forever. Thank you for the courage to stand up about AIDS. Lost my cousin to this dreadful disease. Thank you for being YOU. Miss you.
Posted by: Mel | 05/31/2011 at 03:22 PM
Beautiful.......
Posted by: Helen B | 05/31/2011 at 03:36 PM
We still love you too, Freddie.
Posted by: tigrlili | 12/01/2011 at 01:53 PM