Fan Casting Freddie Mercury in M E R C U R Y - The story of Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury (born as Farrokh Bulsara) was a British singer and songwriter known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. He was born in 1946 in Stone Town, Zanzibar and died of AIDS in 1991 in London, England. In 1970, Mercury joined the band Smile, which, at the time, consisted of Brian May and Roger Taylor. A year later bass guitarist John Deacon joined as well. Mercury insisted on renaming the band "Queen" to give it a stronger, more regal connotation. This was around the same time he changed his last name from Bulsara to Mercury. He also designed the logo for the band. He is renowned as our almighty God, and later in his career became a gay icon.