AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Freddie mercury last days3/28/2023 Peter Freestone said that while the decision to release the statement was not made lightly, he hoped "good could come out of Freddie admitting to having the disease while still alive," and that Mercury's words could help ease some of the stigma behind the illness.įive months later, stars like Elton John and David Bowie joined forces to put on an AIDS benefit concert in Mercury's honor. According to " Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man who Knew Him Best," Mercury's revelation "came as a great shock" to those closest to him. The statement was released immediately by his publicist. Dolezal told People that Mercury's final lines were indicative of his philosophy as a performer: "Even in his last moments, he planned his exit artistically." In May 1991, Freddie Mercury gave his final taped performance in the music video for "These Are the Days of Our Lives," a chart-topping hit from "Innuendo." According to People, "friends did their best to carry on as normal" despite Mercury's skeletal appearance: "The director filmed in black and white in a desperate attempt to conceal Mercury's physical deterioration, but his emaciated frame is painfully apparent." Mercury gives his final performance in the video with his trademark passion, ending with a dramatic flourish as he sings the words "I still love you" while looking directly into the camera. The members of Queen were not sure whether or not Mercury should join the rest of the band on-stage as his appearance "would only draw attention to his swift decline." In the end, Mercury, who looked sharp in a powder-blue suit despite his obvious health issues, "made the courageous decision to collect the award in person," which would all but confirm to the press that Mercury was "extremely ill." Mercury would speak his last public words at the event: "Thank you, goodnight." Today, AIDS patients can live long and healthy lives - according to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, people who start antiretroviral therapy (ART) early have a nearly 80-year life expectancy - but Mercury was diagnosed at a time when very few treatments existed, knowing his condition was terminal for years before his death. Mercury was far from the first celebrity to tragically die of AIDS - however, his public acknowledgment of the disease was crucial at a time when governments had still done very little to address the epidemic. Although public rumors about the state of his health increased when he stepped out of public life in 1989, Mercury and his bandmates vehemently denied rumors that the star had AIDS until the day before he died, when he released a statement regarding his illness (via People). Rather than be known for his disease, Mercury wanted to "make as much music as humanly possible" with his remaining time, according to guitarist Brian May in an interview with The Telegraph.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |