'I Won't Be a Rock Star. I Will Be a Legend': Honoring Freddie Mercury on His Birthday

With his acting skills, Mercury turned the band's concerts into shows. In addition to his powerful, easily recognizable voice, he impressed with his emotionality, temperament, plasticity, and avant-garde costumes.

The eccentric and vocally gifted performer presented the world with such immortal hits as “The Show Must Go On,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “I Want to Break Free.”

The rock star, who fueled fans with irrepressible energy, cut short quite early. Mercury died in 1991 at the age of 45 from AIDS.

However, the memories of the singer from Zanzibar, who left an indelible mark on world culture, live on. Mercury has consistently appeared in the world's top lists of the most influential figures in rock music, and in 2016, asteroid 17473, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, was named in his honor. The Show Must Go On!

Take a look at Sputnik's photo gallery covering the life and work of this iconic rock star!

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A file picture taken on September 18, 1984 showing Rock star Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the rock group "Queen", during a concert at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy (POPB).

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Rock star Freddie Mercury (center, left) lead singer of the pop group ‘Queen,’ arrives with opera star Montserrat Caballe at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Monday, Oct. 10, 1988 where they publicized their hit song ‘Barcelona.’

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Kashmira Cooke looks to a portrait of her brother, singer Freddie Mercury, during photo exhibition about him at a music shop called Planet M in Bombay, Monday, October 18, 1999. Mercury, singer of the popular group 'Queen', died of AIDS in 1991, but spent most of his childhood in a school near Bombay and has a very large fan following there. The exhibition features photographs of Mercury taken by the world's leading photographers.

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British Rock band "Queen" (from L), John Deacon, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and Brian May pose after receiving a British Phonographic Institute Platinum, Gold and Silver award for record sales in London on September 8, 1976.

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The signature crown of British singer-songwriter Freddie Mercury is displayed during the media preview for "Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own: The Evening Sale" at Sotheby’s in New York City on June 1, 2023. More than 1,500 items from Mercury's private collection, including costumes and unique objects as well as the draft lyrics, will feature in the eventual auctions on September 6-8 in London and online August 4-September 11. The auction is expected to fetch at least Ј6 million ($7.5 million).

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An image of Freddie Mercury appears on screen as Brian May, left, and Adam Lambert of Queen perform at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

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A bronze statue of Freddie Mercury, flanked by other members of the British rock group Queen, clockwise from top right, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor, looms over Japanese passersby at Tokyo's entertainment district of Shinjuku on Sunday April 24, 2005. The 3-meter tall (9.9-foot) bronze statue of Mercury, who died in 1991, marks the Japanese tour next month of the British musical, "We Will Rock You," at the Shinjuku Koma Theater.

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A file picture taken on September 18, 1984 showing Rock star Freddie Mercury (R), lead singer of the rock group "Queen", and bass player John Deacon (L) during a concert at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy (POPB).

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Freddie Mercury u. Barbara Valentin in der Dt. Eiche München. 1980.

CC BY-SA 4.0 / Unknown author / Freddie Mercury u. Barbara Valentin in der Dt. Eiche München (cropped photo)

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Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the rock band Queen, during a concert.

CC BY 2.0 / Carl Lender / Queen

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Queen (band) members posing on the terrace of Sheraton Hotel in Buenos Aires.

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Fan Kim Hyun-ju poses with a statue of British rock group Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury, after the statue was unveiled outside a restaurant on the northern coast of Jeju on April 21, 2022.