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Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara (Gujarati: ફારોખ બલ્સારા‌), September 5, 1946 – November 24, 1991)[2][3] was a British musician, best known as the lead vocalist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range.[4][5][6] As a songwriter, Mercury composed many hits for Queen, including "BohemianRhapsody", "Killer Queen", "Somebody to Love", "Don't Stop Me Now", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "We Are the Champions". In addition to his work with Queen, he led a solo career, penning hits such as "Barcelona", "I Was Born to Love You" and "Living on My Own". Mercury also occasionally served as a producer and guest musician (piano or vocals) for other artists. He died ofbronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS on 24 November 1991, only one day after publicly acknowledging he had the disease.
Mercury, who was a Parsi born in Zanzibar and grew up there and in India until his mid-teens, has been referred to as "Britain's first Asian rock star".[7] In 2006, Time Asia named him as one of the most influential Asian heroes of the past 60 years,[8] and he continues to be voted one of thegreatest singers in the history of popular music. In 2005, a poll organised by Blender and MTV2 saw Mercury voted the greatest male singer of all time.[9] In 2009, a Classic Rock poll saw him voted the greatest rock singer of all time.[10] In 2008, Rolling Stone editors ranked him number 18 on their list of the 100 greatest singers of all time.[6] Allmusic has characterised Mercury as "one ofrock's greatest all-time entertainers", who possessed "one of the greatest voices in all of music"
Early life
Mercury was born in the British protectorate of Zanzibar, East Africa (now part of Tanzania). His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara,[a] were Parsis from the Gujarat region of the then province of Bombay Presidency in British India.[12][b] The family surname is derived from the town of Bulsar(also known as Valsad) in southern Gujarat. As Parsis, Mercury and his family practised the Zoroastrian religion.[13] The Bulsara family had moved to Zanzibar so that his father could continue his job as a cashier at the British Colonial Office. He had a younger sister, Kashmira.[14]

The house in Zanzibar where Mercury lived in his early years
Mercury spent the bulk of his childhood in India andbegan taking piano lessons at the age of seven.[15] In 1954, at the age of eight, Mercury was sent to study at St. Peter's School, a British-style boarding school for boys in Panchgani near Bombay (now Mumbai), India.[16] Aged 12, he formed a school band, The Hectics, and covered artists such as Cliff Richard and Little Richard.[17] A friend from the time recalls that he had "an uncanny ability tolisten to the radio and replay what he heard on piano".[18] It was also at St. Peter's where he began to call himself "Freddie". Mercury remained in India, living with his grandmother and aunt until he completed his education at St. Mary's School, Bombay.[19]
At the age of 17, Mercury and his family fled from Zanzibar for safety reasons due to the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution.[7] The family movedinto a small house in Feltham, Middlesex, England. Mercury enrolled at Isleworth Polytechnic (now West Thames College) in West London where he studied art. He ultimately earned a Diploma in Art and Graphic Design at Ealing Art College, later using these skills to design the Queen crest. Mercury remained a British citizen for the rest of his life.
Following graduation, Mercury joined a series ofbands and sold second-hand clothes in the Kensington Market in London. He also held a job at Heathrow Airport. Friends from the time remember him as a quiet and shy young man who showed a great deal of interest in music.[20] In 1969 he joined the band Ibex, later renamed Wreckage. When this band failed to take off, he joined a second band called Sour Milk Sea. However, by early 1970 this group broke...