When Freddie Mercury Went Out in Public

Freddie Mercury is best known as one of the rock world’s most versatile and engaging performers and for his mock operatic masterpiece, “Bohemian Rhapsody.“ Singer-songwriter Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946, in Zanzibar, Tanzania. He studied piano in boarding school in India and befriended numerous musicians at London’s Ealing College of Art. The music of Mercury’s band, Queen, reached the top of U.S. and British charts. Mercury died of AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia on November 24, 1991, at age 45. In addition to his talents as a singer and songwriter, Mercury was also a skilled showman. He knew how to entertain audiences and how to connect with them. He liked to wear costumes — often featuring skintight spandex — and strutted around the stage, encouraging fans to join in the fun. Artistic in nature, Mercury was also actively involved in designing the art for many of the group’s albums. Offstage, Mercury was open about his bisexuality, bu