What If Freddie Mercury Was Still Alive?
On November 24th, 1991 the world lost unarguably one of the greatest singers to ever live. Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5th, 1946 on the eastern African island of Zanzibar grew up and became one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century.
For over twenty years Freddie was the main vocalist for the band Queen, and after singing songs like Don’t Stop Me Now, We Will Rock You, and the band’s biggest hit, 1975’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Sadly early in the 1980s, Freddie contracted HIV from a random hook-up that no one was able to identify. In the autumn of 1987 Freddie Mercury was diagnosed with aids, and back then if you had aids you wouldn’t have that much time left to live. He kept his diagnosis under wraps and he only told Mary Austin, his ex-fiance who was still a close friend of the singer and his boyfriend Jim Hutton. I am sure they would have gotten married if it was legal back in those days, but both of the men would be long gone before it was legalized in 2014. He also told Brian, John, and Roger about it too, and they made the decision to stop touring for Freddie’s sake.
I am going to assume that the band didn’t force Freddie to make more music with them, but this was Freddie Mercury and even in his last days he cared more about others than himself. He was a very selfless man. He spent his final years of life singing on two more Queen albums and he even sang with other talents like Montserrat Caballe, and he had close contact with friends like Elton John and Peter Starker.
In his final months, the singer was very frail and he filmed his last video with Queen for the music video for ‘These Are the Days of Our Lives’ in May 1991. Freddie actually lost most of his foot, and most days he didn’t even leave his bedroom in November 1991. On the 23rd he finally revealed to the public he had AIDS, and the very next day his death was announced around the world. Freddie Mercury was only forty-five. The next year a tribute concert was held in his memory and the Mercury Phoenix Trust was created in his name. To this day it still fights HIV and AIDS around the world.
But What If Freddie Never Died?
In 1996 highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) came out and it was an effective defense against AIDs and HIV. It didn’t completely get rid of the disease, but it lets people living with the virus have a normal life.
I’m not a doctor but let’s see it came out a few years earlier, and Freddie was able to live a normal life. More importantly, what would he be up to today if he was still alive?
Now, none of what I am going to say is fact-based, but comparing to the events that actually transpired and taking a look into Freddie’s personality and ambitions I can come up with some kind of timeline of Freddie’s life after 1991.
I believe the treatment would take a while, but I am sure by 1992 and if not by then 1993 Freddie would be healthy enough to start singing again. The now forty-six or forty-seven-year-old singer would immediately get back to writing, creating, and singing songs. Brian, John, and Roger would always tell him to slow down Freddie, or are you sure you want to do this Fred? However, he always would shoot them down.
“Nonsense fellas. I’m feeling much better. Now let’s not talk about that virus bullshit! Let’s get back to making music!” Freddie would have repeatedly told the band.
I would say around late 1993 or early 1994 a new Queen album would finally be released after over two years of waiting. I have an idea that it would be very similar to the real-life album Made In Heaven, but unlike the many revamped solo tracks and songs created right before Freddie died it would have the same style as other Queen albums. I am unsure if Freddie’s voice would be more similar to his 1980s style or if he would have a lighter tone like his last two albums The Miracle and Innuendo.
It may be a double album based on how energetic and determined Freddie would be after barely escaping death. Queen never released a double album before, but with Freddie’s optimism, I can see it happening.
I can see them going on a world tour, and Freddie would have been happy to spend two to three years on the road. This would be the band's biggest and longest tour. They would also finally go back to the United States as Queen + Adam Lambert did in our world. We would see the band in Argentina, Mexico, Cambodia, and every country you can imagine of. I wouldn’t be surprised if Freddie said something about them touring every country on the planet earth, but this was a rare case he was shut down.
I can see Freddie’s fiftieth birthday as I write this. On September 5th, 1996 he would celebrate it with all of his adoring fans, and he wouldn’t mind singing all of his favorite Queen songs to them even on a day like this. I am also sure he would have promoted the Mercury Phoenix Trust I still believe Freddie would have created it if he was still alive. I am sure some concert proceeds would go directly to the Phoenix Trust. 1997 wouldn’t be one of Freddie’s best years because of the death of his friend Princess Diana, and there is still a possibility John Deacon would have left the band still.
However the band would probably find a replacement. As the 2000s go by Freddie would have to be more reclusive because Jim Hutton would be diagnosed with lung cancer and he would pass away in 2010. It would be a major blow to Freddie’s mental health, but he had Mary Austin and Brian and Roger in his life to help him out.
I doubt Freddie would get back into the dating scene again. By 2010 The Queen singer would be in his mid sixties.
However I am sure Freddie would get back to touring with Queen by 2011 and I am sure Adam Lambert would be correlated with the band in some way. Maybe he would do duets with Freddie, or he could fill in for him for a while as Freddie recovers from Jim’s death.
Freddie always said that his death would mark the end of his career so I could see him still touring with Brian and Roger to this day making new music with them. His health may not be the best, but he will go out every year and make his fans happy.
