Thousands of fans are celebrating Freddie Mercury’s 80th birthday
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Thousands of Freddie Mercury fans travelled to Montreux to celebrate the former Queen singer’s 80th birthday in front of his statue.
The town, where the Queen frontman spent the final years of his life, has been hosting ‘Freddie Days’ since 2003.
To mark this significant anniversary, many people had donned outfits just as extravagant as those Mercury used to wear during his lifetime. The British singer had spent the last years of his life in Montreux before dying in 1991, aged 45, from complications of AIDS.
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Don’t stop me now: Freddie Mercury and Montreux
Since 2003, ‘Freddie Days’ have been celebrated in Montreux to mark Mercury’s birthday. To mark this milestone birthday this year, concerts and panel discussions were held from Wednesday to Sunday. On Saturday evening, Mercury’s sister, Kashmira Bulsara, cut a birthday cake.
“There are people who come every year. I wouldn’t call it a community of fans; it’s more like a family,” said Lucien Muller, who organises these celebrations on a voluntary basis. “We’re trying to honour Freddie Mercury’s legacy in a town that meant a great deal to him.”
Mercury’s band, Queen, had a studio at the Montreux Casino, where they recorded six albums. The venue now houses an exhibition where fans can have a go at the mixing desk.
Erected in Montreux in 1996 and depicting Mercury in a triumphant pose, the bronze statue was entirely covered in balloons, flowers and messages left by fans from all over the world. “It’s a special anniversary, so we have to make the effort to come and celebrate everything to do with Freddie,” said a woman who had travelled from Canberra, Australia.
The 2018 Oscar-winning film Bohemian Rhapsody also helped introduce Mercury to a younger generation. “There are so many people here who aren’t old enough to have seen Queen in concert. It’s fantastic, because it helps keep Freddie’s memory alive,” said Julie Criddle, who took part in the filming of the music video for the hit We Are the Champions in 1977.
Composer Mike Moran, who co-wrote the tracks on the album Barcelona with Mercury, said the singer would probably have been surprised to see so many people gathered on his birthday. “He would have loved it – he loved being adored – but he would have hated turning 80.”
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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
