The Grand Finale

I

n the early part of 1991, rumours began escalating that

Mercury’s unwillingness to tour again, and his apparent

fatigue, were due to the fact that we was suffering from

AIDS. Flatly denying the claims, despite the fact that they were

actually true, Mercury and the band decided to carry on and

record their fourteenth studio outing regardless.

Fighting through the pain, Mercury put in a courageous

performance for his contributions towards ‘Innuendo’, and the

album was mostly well-received by the press.

Mercury, however, was declining fast. On 23 November 1991,

Freddie Mercury would confirm the worst by issuing a statement

confirming that he did have AIDS. By 7pm the next day, Freddie

Mercury was dead.

‘I was numb the first night after it happened,’ said a grief-

stricken May. ‘We all met and talked and I couldn’t even cry.