Freddie Mercury died of AIDS on November 24, 1991 at the age of only 45. He left a loving message for Elton John.
On November 24, 1991, one of the greatest pop stars died of AIDS: Freddie Mercury, the singer of the British band Queen. Just a day earlier, Mercury had revealed the truth about his illness. To be HIV positive, to be homosexual, was still considered a stigma in many places around 30 years ago. Another famous British and gay musician, Mercury left a loving message, reports the English newspaper "Mirror": Elton John.
Few knew about Mercury's illness: his bandmates, Mercury's ex-girlfriend Mary Austin, with whom he remained connected even after he came out. And music colleague Elton John. The two men were close, Elton John later said Mercury had helped him get rid of his cocaine addiction. Even John had dared to come out public late.
Elton John described in his biography the last encounters with the doomed singer: "He was too frail to get out of bed, he lost his eyesight, his body was covered with Kaposi's sarcoma." Still, he didn't let that get him down.
Great Christmas present
Elton John could only have shown real mourning for the loss of his friend after his death. The occasion was a very personal gift and a message from Freddie Mercury that reached him in December: A painting by Henry Scott Tuke, one of Elton John's favorite artists, wrapped in a pillowcase, and a note.
John: "Years before, Freddie and I had given each other pet names – our alter egos as drag queens. I was Sharon and he was Melina. Freddie's note was, 'Dear Sharon, I thought you'd like that. Love, Melina . Merry Christmas. '"Elton John cried like a child. But as sad as this moment was, he would have shown him again the good character of his friend: In his last days it was still important to him to buy his friend a Christmas present.