Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band
Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range.
As a songwriter, Mercury composed many hits for Queen, including "
Bohemian Rhapsody", "
Killer Queen", "
Somebody to Love", "
Don't Stop Me Now", "
Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "
We Are the Champions". In addition to his work with Queen, he led a solo career, and also occasionally served as a producer and guest musician for other artists. He died of
bronchopneumonia brought on by
AIDS on 24 November 1991, only one day after publicly acknowledging he had the disease.