Late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury’s mother did an interview with Tim Teeman before her death in 2016.
Mercury also didn’t tell his family he had AIDS.
“We gradually became aware he had an illness but we had no idea what it was or how serious it was,” Cooke told me. “Then in August 1990, [Kashmira] and I saw a mark on his foot. It was Kaposi’s sarcoma.
“Kash asked what it was, whether it was getting better. Freddie said: ‘You have to understand that what I have is terminal. I’m going to die.’ That was it. He didn’t say it was AIDS.”
Jer told me that the last time she saw her son was “very emotional, very hard. He asked, ‘Are you all right? Did any of the media worry you?’ We said: ‘Don’t worry about us, dear.’ He was so ill and still he was being so caring.”
One thing that kept her going, Jer told me, were the letters she got from people (addressed to “Freddie Mercury’s mother, Nottingham”) saying what his songs have meant to them. Had he been alive now, he would have composed rock operas, she thought.
Jer laughed as she thought about how Mercury would have celebrated his 60th birthday (probably debauchedly).
Queen guitarist Brian May wrote in a recent Instagram post, “Hi folks ! This is me reminding myself that at least some of the natural world still thrives, though everywhere there is evidence that with the relentless encroachment of Man, Nature is losing the battle. I find it hard to avoid the thought that Humans are a plague on this beautiful blue planet. Bri.”
“ASTRONOMY – Special Moon Landing Edition ! As we draw closer to 20th July, we’re becoming more and more conscious of those brave and brilliant men, Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, who put Humanity’s foot for the first time on another world – amazingly – 50 years ago. @eicher.david – supervising editor of ASTRONOMY Magazine – has made sure everything you need to celebrate is here ! Bri.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Byh2lhGh9w8/
