Queen's Brian May discusses Freddie Mercury's final days: "I never ever saw him cry"

16 July 2024, 10:38

Things were never the same after Freddie's passing.

Understandably, as he was one of the greatest ever talents with a once-in-a-lifetime presence that propelled Queen to legendary status.

It's easy to see why his bandmates Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon made the decision to step away from Queen once Freddie Mercury died.

Not only would they be judged for carrying on without their iconic frontman, it would also be too emotionally raw for the remaining members.

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In a new interview with AXS TV, Brian May has discussed how Queen protected their legacy whilst attempting to move forward without Freddie.

"We’d always said that if one of us goes, that’s it," Brian revealed. So Roger and I both went out kind of grieving to the max and saying it’s over, we don’t even want to talk about it for quite a long time."

Within the same interview, Brian also recalled Freddie's final days, saying that he "never ever saw him cry" despite battling a terrible disease and facing his own mortality.

It seemed that the impetus for Queen to return to the studio was to work on the material they last made with Freddie.

"We made the last album, the Made In Heaven album with the tracks that Freddie had left us to play with and it became a real labour of love because he left some lovely little bits and pieces."

Brian then discussed how resilient Freddie was when Queen were in the studio together in the days leading to Freddie's death.

"He was very undramatic about it," May shared, adding: "I never ever saw him cry or go you know self-pity."

"He never did that, he was like ‘let’s just do it, let's keep doing stuff'. Freddy was always inspiring. If he was here now, we’d be doing what we always do I’m sure."

The epitome of courage and creativity, Freddie worked away and kept his chin up even when he was struggling to stand up.

It's emotional and heart-breaking seeing him during his final days as he battled AIDS, though he still sang and performed like nobody else, especially on the tear-jerking 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives' which would be the final time he'd be filmed.

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Brian May Talks About Freddie Mercury In His Final Days

Naturally, the comparisons with Freddie will forever remain due to his incredible talent, even though that his 'replacement' Adam Lambert has established himself as a different prospect.

May appreciates that they couldn't emulate what the band was with Freddie, adding that Lambert always provides a fresh perspective on things, encouraging him and Roger to try new thing.

"The songs are not fossils, they’re alive and evolving with Adam which is great. Sometimes he blows my mind," May said.

The interview coincides with the announcement of Queen Extravaganza, the official Queen tribute band that will embark on a UK tour in 2025.

To mark the 50th anniversary of their enduring anthem 'Bohemian Rhapsody', the Queen Extravaganza is fully endorsed by Brian May and Roger Taylor.

For the full list of tour dates and for tickets to Queen Extravaganza, see here.