Freddie Mercury
Born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar; his family fled a revolution to London, and he renamed himself and the band.
- Born
- 1946 · Stone Town, Zanzibar (now Tanzania)
- Roots
- Parsi (Zoroastrian) Indian; family fled Zanzibar to England in 1964
- Family
- Middle class
- His father was a cashier for the British Colonial Office; the 1964 revolution cost the family its footing and sent them to Middlesex.
- Education
- St. Peter's boarding school, Panchgani, India → Ealing Art College (graphic design)
- Started with
- A boarding-school band
- Formed The Hectics at his Indian boarding school; in London he sold second-hand clothes at Kensington Market between gigs.
- Affiliations & societies
- Zoroastrianism (Parsi community)Documented
- Raised in the faith; his funeral was conducted by Zoroastrian priests.
- Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.
The pathway
- 1958 · age 12The Hectics
A covers band at his Panchgani boarding school, where classmates shorten Farrokh to Freddie.
- 1964 · age 17Flight from Zanzibar
The revolution drives the family to England with what they can carry.
- 1970 · age 24Queen
Joins Smile, renames the band, takes the stage name Mercury, and draws the crest with his art-school training.
- 1975 · age 29Bohemian Rhapsody
Six minutes long against label objections; nine weeks at number one.
- 1985 · age 38Live Aid
The 21-minute Wembley set is regularly voted the greatest live performance in rock.
- 1991 · age 45Dies of AIDS-related illness
Announces his diagnosis one day before his death; the tribute concert the next year fills Wembley again.
Sources
Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.