The last picture of Freddie Mercury alive, 1991

The last picture of Freddie Mercury alive, 1991

This is the last picture of Freddie taken by his partner Jim Hutton at their home in London. Mercury was the lead singer in the iconic rock band, Queen. Many people consider to be the best band of all time. They composed and produced the song Bohemian Rhapsody, which is also considered by many to be the best song of all time.

Mercury was an icon in the LGBT community at the time and still is today. He would later die from bronchial pneumonia as a result from AIDS. Mercury looks weaker in this picture, and his skin and face are more pale than before.

Brian May, the guitarist for Queen, once described a conversation he had with mercury at dinner about his battle with AIDS. He said :

“The problem was actually his foot, and tragically there was very little left of it. Once, he showed it to us at dinner. And he said, ‘Oh Brian, I’m sorry I’ve upset you by showing you that.’

“And I said, ‘I’m not upset, Freddie, except to realize you have to put up with all this terrible pain’.”

Tragically, Mercury died just months before huge medical advancements against AIDS became available on the market. May went on to say : 

“He missed by just a few months. If it had been a bit later he would still have been with us, I’m sure,” said May. “You can’t do ‘what if,’ can you? You can’t go there because therein lies madness.”

Photographer: Jim Hutton

Source: Vintage Mag