Famous people
What was Freddie Mercury’s final wish to the love of his life?
Mary Austin was the great love of the Queen frontman’s life. He left a large part of his estate to her.
Freddie Mercury, the iconic leader of Queen, is remembered not only for his extraordinary musical talent, but also for his exuberant personality and his fascinating life - both professionally and personally.
While his legacy lives on through his music, his private life holds secrets that only a few know about. One of the deepest and most emotional is the last wish that Mercury confided to the person closest to his heart: Mary Austin, his great love and intimate friend.
The great love of Freddie Mercury’s life
Freddie and Mary shared a unique relationship that transcended the barriers of time and the way romantic relationships are defined. Although their love story ended on platonic terms, the bond they shared was so deep that, despite their respective love lives, Freddie never stopped considering her his “great love,” even after they were separated after he confessed something she already suspected: his homosexuality.
Such was the bond he had with Mary Austin, whom he met in the early seventies in London, that he dedicated the famous song Love of My Life to her, his soul mate, a ballad full of emotion and nostalgia. And, in addition, Mary was the person Freddie Mercury chose to fulfill one of his most personal and painful requests: to take charge of his mortal remains after his death. The singer lost his battle with AIDS on 24 November 24, at just 45 years of age.
In fact, by then, although both had rebuilt their lives, Mary was still by his side. Convinced of her fidelity, apart from this request, the woman also inherited a large part of the musician’s estate. Austin inherited a considerable part of Freddie’s fortune, from the mansion in the English capital where she still lives to the royalties from his songs. She even received a sum exceeding 50 million euros after the release of the biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody.
Nobody knows where Freddie Mercury’s body rests
Freddie Mercury’s strange and intimate request to his former partner is due to the fact that the singer did not want anyone to know where he would rest eternally.
The musician was afraid that some fan might desecrate his grave, so it was essential for him that the location did not come to light.
There is speculation that Austin may have buried his ashes in her London mansion, or even deposited them in a cemetery under a false name, or even taken them back to Zanzibar, the country where Mercury was born, but the truth is that no one but her, as the singer confided, knows of his whereabouts. Not even Mercury’s parents knew the place where they could go to mourn their son.
Both of Mercury’s parents lived long lives. His mother Jer Bulsara died in 2016, aged 94 while his father Bomi passed away in 2003, aged 95.