The Life of
Freddie Mercury

by Miranda Paulson

Freddie's personal life was often scrutinized by the public. While he had relationships with women, he also had relationships with men during his lifetime. He never expressly stated his sexuality to the public, but that doesn't stop people from trying to label him as either completely gay or bisexual. No matter what he stated, Freddie has become a kind of icon for the LGBTQ+ community. He also enjoyed many close friendships over the years.

Mary Austin

Freddie met Mary Austin a year before Queen formed, and they began what would become a lifelong relationship together. They were engaged for a time, but eventually split when Freddie told her of his sexuality. According to Mary, Freddie told her that he felt that he was bisexual. After they broke up romantically, they still remained close friends. Freddie even bought her a house very close to his, so that they could still be a part of each other's lives. After his death, Freddie left much of his estate to Mary, treating her much like his widow.

a picture of Freddie Mercury with Mary Austin who is a blonde woman smiling

Kenny Everett

Kenny was a radio DJ that Freddie became close friends with. They were both very flamboyant and popular, and so they had a lot in common. It was also Kenny who first played "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the radio. Freddie came to him with an advance copy of the song, thinking nobody would play it since it was six minutes long and Capital radio had yet to approve of it. Kenny would make up excuses to play it. Sometimes he would say that "his finger must've slipped". He played the song thirty six times one weekend and Capital's switchboard was overwhelmed with callers begging to know when the song would finally be released.

a picture of a man with brown hair with wild looking eyes looking right into the camera and smiling

Jim Hutton

Freddie first met Jim Hutton in 1985. He was an Irish hairdresser who didn't even recognize who Freddie was at first. It wasn't an instant connection, but when they reconnected eighteen months later, they started dating. The pair often kept their relationship private. Jim would be kept close at different gigs, but they tried to keep their relationship out of the spotlight. They even exchanged rings, but they weren't able to be legally married at that time in history. They were able to enjoy seven years together before Freddie died in 1991.

A picture of Freddie Mercury and his partner Jim Hutton. They stand next to each other at home. Freddie is smiling while Jim is shirtless, holding their cat.