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==Legacy== ===Continued popularity=== {{Quote box | width = 29% | align = left | quote = The charisma and power in his performance style has over the years led to many artists quoting him as one of their biggest inspirations today. The diverse scope of artists that love Mercury is huge. | source = —Amy Weller, ''[[Gigwise]]''<ref>{{cite news|first=Amy|last=Weller|title=If it wasn't for Freddie Mercury...<!-- ellipsis in the original --> 13 artists inspired by the Queen icon|url=https://www.gigwise.com/photos/84002/9/if-it-wasnt-for-freddie-mercury-13-artists-inspired-by-the-queen-icon|date=5 September 2013|access-date=13 March 2018|work=Gigwise|archive-date=30 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330082547/https://www.gigwise.com/photos/84002/9/if-it-wasnt-for-freddie-mercury-13-artists-inspired-by-the-queen-icon|url-status=live}}</ref> }} Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of rock music,<ref name="RSBestSingers2">{{cite web|date=12 April 2011|title=2. Freddie Mercury|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/rolling-stone-readers-pick-the-best-lead-singers-of-all-time-20110412/2-freddie-mercury-0762142|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415091916/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/rolling-stone-readers-pick-the-best-lead-singers-of-all-time-20110412/2-freddie-mercury-0762142|archive-date=15 April 2011|access-date=9 March 2014|work=Readers Pick the Best Lead Singers of All Time}}</ref><ref name="Billboard_20152">{{cite magazine|title=The 25 Best Rock Frontmen (and Women) of All Time|url=https://www.billboard.com/photos/6721847/best-rock-singers-of-all-time|magazine=Billboard|access-date=10 March 2019|archive-date=16 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816012120/http://www.billboard.com/photos/6721847/best-rock-singers-of-all-time|url-status=live}}</ref> Mercury was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-[[octave]] [[vocal range]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article675005.ece|title=Dance: Deux the fandango|newspaper=[[The Times]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615085921/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article675005.ece|archive-date=15 June 2011|access-date=15 November 2008}}</ref><ref name="rollingstone.com2">{{cite magazine|date=3 December 2010|title=''RollingStone.com'' – 100 Greatest Singers of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-147019/freddie-mercury-5-225069/|access-date=18 November 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-date=21 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221155943/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-147019/freddie-mercury-5-225069/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Independent2006" /> He defied the conventions of a rock frontman, with his highly theatrical style influencing the artistic direction of Queen.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Freddie Mercury|url=http://www.freddiemercury.com/en/biography|access-date=10 June 2020|website=freddiemercury.com|archive-date=2 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602231235/http://www.freddiemercury.com/en/biography|url-status=live}}</ref> The extent to which Mercury's death may have enhanced Queen's popularity is not clear. In the United States, where Queen's popularity had lagged in the 1980s, sales of Queen albums went up dramatically in 1992, the year following his death.<ref name="RIAA_2007" /> In 1992, one American critic noted, "What cynics call the 'dead star' factor had come into play—Queen is in the middle of a major resurgence."<ref name="Brown_1992" /> The movie ''[[Wayne's World (film)|Wayne's World]]'', which featured "Bohemian Rhapsody", also came out in 1992.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hxAEAAAAMBAJ&q=queen+waynes+world&pg=PA8 |title=Hollywood Records Hails Older Queen Product|magazine=Billboard |date=25 July 1992|page=8 }}</ref> According to the [[Recording Industry Association of America]], Queen had sold 34.5 million albums in the United States by 2004, about half of which had been sold since Mercury's death in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblTopArt |title=Gold & Platinum – 22 November 2009 |publisher=Record Industry Association of America |access-date=22 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701163039/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblTopArt |archive-date=1 July 2007}}</ref> [[File:Denis Bourez - Madame Tussauds, London (8748155098).jpg|thumb|Mercury's wax figure displayed at [[Madame Tussauds]], London]] Estimates of Queen's total worldwide record sales to date have been set as high as 300 million.<ref name="Cota_2006"/> In the United Kingdom, Queen have now spent more collective weeks on the [[UK Album Charts]] than any other musical act (including [[the Beatles]]),<ref name="BBC_2005a"/> and ''Queen's Greatest Hits'' is the [[List of best-selling albums in the United Kingdom|best-selling album]] of all time in the United Kingdom.<ref name="Brown_2006"/> Two of Mercury's songs, "[[We Are the Champions]]" and "[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]", have also each been voted as the greatest song of all time in major polls by [[Sony Ericsson]]<ref name="Haines_2005"/> and ''[[Guinness World Records]]''.<ref name="CNN_2002"/> Both songs have been inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]]; "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 2004 and "We Are the Champions" in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame |title=Grammy Hall of Fame Award |work=The GRAMMYs |access-date=27 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122042616/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame |archive-date=22 January 2011}}</ref> In October 2007 the video for "Bohemian Rhapsody" was voted the greatest of all time by readers of ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' magazine.<ref name="BBC_2007"/> Since his death, Queen were inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2001, and all four band members were inducted into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Queen|url=http://rockhall.com/inductees/queen|year=2007|access-date=6 February 2010|archive-date=20 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020051356/http://rockhall.com/inductees/queen/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/ceremony/entry/C3124/207916|title=2003 Award and Induction Ceremony: Queen|publisher=Songwritershalloffame.org|access-date=28 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217214545/http://songwritershalloffame.org/ceremony/entry/C3124/207916|archive-date=17 December 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Their Rock Hall of Fame citation reads, "in the golden era of [[glam rock]] and gorgeously hyper-produced theatrical extravaganzas that defined one branch of '70s rock, no group came close in either concept or execution to Queen."<ref>{{cite news |title=Queen join rock royalty |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1230959.stm |date=20 March 2001 |access-date=26 October 2018 |work=BBC News |archive-date=25 November 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021125184719/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1230959.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The band were among the inaugural inductees into the [[UK Music Hall of Fame]] in 2004. Mercury was individually posthumously awarded the [[Brit Award]] for Outstanding Contribution to British Music in 1992.<ref>{{cite news |title=1992 Brit Awards: Winners |url=https://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1992 |access-date=23 June 2019 |publisher=Brit Awards |archive-date=3 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803104934/https://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1992 |url-status=dead }}</ref> They received the [[Ivor Novello Award]] for Outstanding Song Collection from the [[British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors]] in 2005, and in 2018 they were presented the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]].<ref name=Ivors/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/queen-tina-turner-to-receive-grammy-lifetime-achievement-award-w515260|title=Queen, Tina Turner to Receive Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award|date=10 January 2018|first=Jon|last=Blistein|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=8 March 2018|archive-date=19 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619040158/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/queen-tina-turner-to-receive-grammy-lifetime-achievement-award-w515260|url-status=dead}}</ref> Queen were awarded the [[Polar Music Prize]] in 2025, with their citation describing Mercury as "one of the most charismatic front figures in the history of music".<ref>{{cite web |title=Queen — Polar Music Prize |url=https://www.polarmusicprize.org/laureates/queen/ |website=www.polarmusicprize.org |access-date=30 March 2025}}</ref> ===Posthumous Queen album=== In November 1995, Mercury appeared posthumously on Queen's final studio album ''[[Made in Heaven]]''.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica2"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/behind-the-albums/queen-made-in-heaven/|title=Made In Heaven: The Aptly Named Album That Drew The Curtain On Queen|last=Bell|first=Max|date=17 August 2017|website=uDiscoverMusic|access-date=24 February 2019|archive-date=10 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410144717/https://www.udiscovermusic.com/behind-the-albums/queen-made-in-heaven/|url-status=live}}</ref> The album featured Mercury's previously unreleased final recordings from 1991, as well as outtakes from previous years and reworked versions of solo works by the other members.<ref name="Heaven"/> The album cover features the Freddie Mercury statue that overlooks Lake Geneva superimposed with Mercury's Duck House lake cabin that he had rented. This is where he had written and recorded his last songs at [[Mountain Studios]].<ref name="Heaven"/> The sleeve of the album contains the words, "Dedicated to the immortal spirit of Freddie Mercury."<ref name="Heaven">{{cite web|url=http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/made-heaven/|title=Made in Heaven|last1=Brooks|first1=Greg|last2=Taylor|first2=Gary|publisher=Queenonline.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218165829/http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/made-heaven/|archive-date=18 February 2011|access-date=27 September 2014}}</ref> Featuring tracks such as "[[Too Much Love Will Kill You]]" and "[[Heaven for Everyone]]", the album also contains the song "[[Mother Love (Queen song)|Mother Love]]", the last vocal recording Mercury made before his death, which he completed using a drum machine, over which May, Taylor, and Deacon later added the instrumental track.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lemieux|first=Patrick|title=The Queen Chronology: The Recording & Release History of the Band|date=2013|publisher=Lulu|page=86}}</ref> After completing the penultimate verse, Mercury had told the band he "wasn't feeling that great" and stated, "I will finish it when I come back next time". He never made it back into the studio, so May later recorded the final verse of the song.<ref name="Montreux studio">{{cite news|title=Inside the studio where Freddie Mercury sang his last song|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10486116/Inside-the-studio-where-Freddie-Mercury-sang-his-last-song.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10486116/Inside-the-studio-where-Freddie-Mercury-sang-his-last-song.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The Telegraph|date=25 October 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> ===Tributes=== [[File:Freddy Mercury Statue Montreux.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Statue of Freddie Mercury overlooking [[Lake Geneva]] in [[Montreux]], Switzerland]] A statue in Montreux, Switzerland, by sculptor [[Irena Sedlecká]], was erected as a tribute to Mercury.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/travel/mercury-heavy-metal-and-a-jazz-explosion-20110323-1c6hc.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108061736/http://www.smh.com.au/travel/mercury-heavy-metal-and-a-jazz-explosion-20110323-1c6hc.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 November 2012|title=Mercury, heavy metal and a jazz explosion|work=Traveller|access-date=27 September 2014}}</ref> It stands almost {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=off}} high overlooking Lake Geneva and was unveiled on 25 November 1996 by Mercury's father and Montserrat Caballé, with bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor also in attendance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://montreuxmusic.com/fmm/content/view/61/96/lang,english/|title=Montreuxmusic/Freddie Mercury |publisher=Montreuxmusic |access-date=7 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326014321/http://montreuxmusic.com/fmm/content/view/61/96/lang%2Cenglish/ |archive-date=26 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Beginning in 2003 fans from around the world have gathered in Switzerland annually to pay tribute to the singer as part of the "Freddie Mercury Montreux Memorial Day" on the first weekend of September.<ref name="Bishton_2004"/> In 1997 the three remaining members of Queen released "[[No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)]]", a song dedicated to Mercury and all those that die too soon.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.queenarchives.com/index.php?title=Queen_-_XX-XX-1997_-_No_One_But_You|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128163336/http://www.queenarchives.com/index.php?title=Queen_-_XX-XX-1997_-_No_One_But_You|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 November 2010|title=Queen Press Release – No One But You|year=1997|publisher=Queenarchives.com|access-date=27 September 2014}}</ref> In 1999 a [[Royal Mail]] stamp with an image of [[Millennium stamp#Great Britain|Mercury on stage]] was issued in his honour as part of the UK postal service's [[Millennium stamp#1999|Millennium Stamp]] series.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/351568.stm|title=Mercury and Moore head millennium stamps|work=BBC News|access-date=27 September 2014|date=24 May 1999|archive-date=11 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711110935/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/351568.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectgbstamps.co.uk/displayset.asp?setid=239 |title=Millennium Series. The Entertainers' Tale (1999) |publisher=Collect GB Stamps |access-date=9 January 2011 |archive-date=18 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318204616/http://www.collectgbstamps.co.uk/explore/issues/?issue=239 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2009 a star commemorating Mercury was unveiled in [[Feltham]], west London where his family moved upon arriving in England in 1964. The star in memory of Mercury's achievements was unveiled on Feltham High Street by his mother Jer Bulsara and Queen bandmate May.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/4757372.In_pictures__Freddie_Mercury_memorial_unveiled/ |title=Freddie Mercury memorial unveiled in Feltham |work=[[Richmond and Twickenham Times]] |date=24 November 2009 |access-date=9 January 2011 |archive-date=16 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316091752/http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/4757372.In_pictures__Freddie_Mercury_memorial_unveiled/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Still rocking at the Dominion, Tottenham Court Road - geograph.org.uk - 1975220.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Mercury statue above the West End's [[Dominion Theatre]]]] A statue of Mercury stood over the entrance to the [[Dominion Theatre]] in London's [[West End theatre|West End]] from May 2002 to May 2014 for Queen and [[Ben Elton]]'s musical ''[[We Will Rock You (musical)|We Will Rock You]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/Misc/wewillrockintrocredits.htm |title=''We Will Rock You'' – Introduction & Credits |publisher=Ultimatequeen.co.uk |access-date=9 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223210255/http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/Misc/wewillrockintrocredits.htm |archive-date=23 February 2010 }}</ref> A tribute to Queen was on display at the [[Fremont Street Experience]] in [[downtown Las Vegas]] throughout 2009 on its video canopy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://julian1st.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/las-vegasqueen-tribute-rocks-tourists-at-fremont-st-experience/ |title=Las Vegas...Queen tribute rocks tourists at Fremont St. experience! |website=Julian1st.wordpress.com |date=17 January 2009 |access-date=9 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710164048/http://julian1st.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/las-vegasqueen-tribute-rocks-tourists-at-fremont-st-experience/ |archive-date=10 July 2012 }}</ref> In December 2009 a large model of Mercury wearing [[tartan]] was displayed in Edinburgh as publicity for the run of ''We Will Rock You''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brianmay.com/queen/queennews/queennewsdec09a.html|title=Queen News – December 2009|publisher=Brianmay.com|access-date=27 September 2014|archive-date=30 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330140341/http://www.brianmay.com/queen/queennews/queennewsdec09a.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Sculptures of Mercury often feature him wearing a military jacket with his fist in the air. In 2018, ''[[GQ]]'' called Mercury's yellow military jacket (created by British costume designer Diana Moseley) from his 1986 concerts his best known look,<ref>{{cite news |title=Yes, you should start dressing like Freddie Mercury |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gallery/freddie-mercury-style-throughout-the-years |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231115324/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gallery/freddie-mercury-style-throughout-the-years |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 December 2018 |date=4 September 2018 |work=GQ|author=Bekhrad, Joobin }}</ref> while [[CNN]] called it "an iconic moment in fashion."<ref>{{cite news |title=Freddie Mercury's yellow military jacket: An iconic moment in fashion |url=https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/remember-when-freddie-mercury-jacket/index.html |access-date=14 May 2021 |publisher=CNN |archive-date=15 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515113304/https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/remember-when-freddie-mercury-jacket/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> For Mercury's 65th birthday in 2011, Google dedicated its [[Google Doodle]] to him. It included an animation set to his song, "Don't Stop Me Now".<ref>{{cite news |title=Freddie Mercury Day is celebrated with Google doodle |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/google-doodle/8741526/Freddie-Mercury-Day-is-celebrated-with-Google-doodle.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/google-doodle/8741526/Freddie-Mercury-Day-is-celebrated-with-Google-doodle.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=18 November 2018 |work=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Referring to "the late, great Freddie Mercury" in their 2012 [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] induction speech, [[Guns N' Roses]] quoted Mercury's lyrics from "We Are the Champions"; "I've taken my bows, my curtain calls, you've brought me fame and fortune and everything that goes with it, and I thank you all."<ref>{{YouTube|d5c9BpEmU7g|"Guns N' Roses Quoted Queen's Freddie Mercury at RRHOF Induction Speech"}}. Retrieved 27 July 2012</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/steven-adler-on-axl-rose-he-showed-his-true-colors-to-the-world-im-done-with-him-20120423|title=Steven Adler on Axl Rose: 'I'm Done With Him'|last=Greene|first=Andy|date=23 April 2012|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=27 July 2012|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612145500/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/steven-adler-on-axl-rose-he-showed-his-true-colors-to-the-world-im-done-with-him-20120423|url-status=dead}}</ref> Tribute was paid to Queen and Mercury at the [[2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony|closing ceremony]] of the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] in London. The band's performance of "We Will Rock You" with [[Jessie J]] was opened with a video of Mercury's "[[call and response]]" routine from 1986's Wembley Stadium performance, with the 2012 crowd at the [[London Stadium|Olympic Stadium]] responding appropriately.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19195421|title=Olympics closing ceremony: A long goodbye to the Games|work=BBC News|access-date=27 September 2014|date=13 August 2012|archive-date=27 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827075844/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19195421|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9472447/Record-TV-audience-for-Olympics-closing-ceremony.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9472447/Record-TV-audience-for-Olympics-closing-ceremony.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Record TV audience for Olympics Closing ceremony|date=13 August 2012|work=The Telegraph|access-date=27 September 2014|location=London|first=Rosa|last=Silverman}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The frog genus ''[[Mercurana]]'', discovered in 2013 in [[Kerala]], India, was named as a tribute because Mercury's "vibrant music inspires the authors". The site of the discovery is very near to where Mercury spent most of his childhood.<ref name="robin">{{cite journal |author1=Abraham, Robin Kurian |author2=Pyron, R. Alexander |author3=Ansil B. R. |author4=Zachariah, Arun |author5=Zachariah, Anil |year= 2013 |title= Two novel genera and one new species of treefrog (Anura: Rhacophoridae) highlight cryptic diversity in the Western Ghats of India |journal= Zootaxa |volume=3640 |issue= 2 | pages= 177–189 |doi= 10.11646/zootaxa.3640.2.3 |pmid= 26000411}}</ref> In 2013, a newly discovered species of [[damselfly]] from Brazil was named ''[[Heteragrion freddiemercuryi]]'', honouring the "superb and gifted musician and songwriter whose wonderful voice and talent still entertain millions" — one of four similar damselflies named after the Queen bandmates, in tribute to Queen's 40th anniversary.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lencioni |first=F.A.A. |title=Diagnoses and discussion of the group 1 and 2 Brazilian species of ''Heteragrion'', with descriptions of four new species (Odonata: Megapodagrionidae) |journal=Zootaxa |volume=3685 |issue=1 |pages=001–080 |year=2013 |pmid=26146690 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3685.1.1}}</ref> On 1 September 2016, an [[English Heritage]] [[blue plaque]] was unveiled at Mercury's home in 22 Gladstone Avenue in Feltham, west London by his sister, Kashmira Cooke, and Brian May.<ref>{{cite news|title=Blue Plaque unveiled on Freddie Mercury's first London home|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-37234409|work=BBC News|date=2 September 2016|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=30 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330012327/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-37234409|url-status=live}}</ref> Attending the ceremony, [[Karen Bradley]], the UK [[Secretary of State for Culture]], called Mercury "one of Britain's most influential musicians", and added he "is a global icon whose music touched the lives of millions of people around the world".<ref>{{cite news|title=Freddie Mercury Awarded English Heritage Blue Plaque|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about-us/search-news/freddie-mercury-blue-plaque|publisher=English Heritage|date=11 November 2016|access-date=11 November 2016|archive-date=27 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027205117/https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about-us/search-news/freddie-mercury-blue-plaque|url-status=live}}</ref> On 24 February 2020 a street in Feltham was renamed Freddie Mercury Close during a ceremony attended by his sister Kashmira.<ref>{{cite news |title=London street named for Freddie Mercury |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/freddie-mercury-close-london-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=27 February 2020 |publisher=CNN |archive-date=27 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227114041/https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/freddie-mercury-close-london-intl-hnk/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On 5 September 2016, the 70th anniversary of Mercury's birth, asteroid [[17473 Freddiemercury]] was named after him.<ref name="Certificate">{{cite news|title=Freddie Mercury: Asteroid named after late Queen star to mark 70th birthday|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37275294|work=BBC News|date=5 September 2016|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=29 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629110856/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37275294|url-status=live}}</ref> Issuing the certificate of designation to the "charismatic singer", Joel Parker of the [[Southwest Research Institute]] added: "Freddie Mercury sang, 'I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky' — and now that is even more true than ever before."<ref name="Certificate" /> In an April 2019 interview, British rock concert promoter [[Harvey Goldsmith]] referred to Mercury as "one of our most treasured talents".<ref>{{cite news |title=How golden-era pioneer Harvey Goldsmith has stayed on the cutting edge |url=https://accessaa.co.uk/how-golden-era-pioneer-harvey-goldsmith-has-stayed-on-the-cutting-edge/ |access-date=19 June 2020 |work=Accessaa |archive-date=31 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731194226/https://accessaa.co.uk/how-golden-era-pioneer-harvey-goldsmith-has-stayed-on-the-cutting-edge/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In August 2019, Mercury was one of the honorees inducted in the [[Rainbow Honor Walk]], a [[walk of fame]] in San Francisco's [[Castro District]] noting [[LGBTQ]] people who have "made significant contributions in their fields".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sfist.com/2014/09/02/castros_rainbow_honor_walk_dedicate/|title=Castro's Rainbow Honor Walk Dedicated Today|last=Barmann|first=Jay|date=2 September 2014|website=SFist|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810075052/https://sfist.com/2014/09/02/castros_rainbow_honor_walk_dedicate/|archive-date=10 August 2019|access-date=15 August 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ebar.com/news/news//277209|title=Castro to see more LGBT honor plaques|last=Bajko|first=Matthew S.|date=5 June 2019|website=The [[Bay Area Reporter]]|access-date=16 August 2019|archive-date=14 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814193946/https://www.ebar.com/news/news//277209|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kqed.org/news/11765805/tributes-in-bronze-8-more-lgbt-heroes-join-s-f-s-rainbow-honor-walk|title=Tributes in Bronze: 8 More LGBT Heroes Join S.F.'s Rainbow Honor Walk|last=Yollin|first=Patricia|date=6 August 2019|website=KQED: The California Report|access-date=16 August 2019|archive-date=14 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814132643/https://www.kqed.org/news/11765805/tributes-in-bronze-8-more-lgbt-heroes-join-s-f-s-rainbow-honor-walk|url-status=live}}</ref> Freddie Mercury Alley is a {{convert|107|yd||adj=mid|-long}} alley next to the British embassy in the Ujazdów district in [[Warsaw]], Poland, which is dedicated to Mercury, and was unveiled on 22 November 2019.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gozdur|first=Sandra|url=https://warszawa.naszemiasto.pl/aleja-freddiego-mercuryego-oficjalnie-otwarta-to-wielki/ar/c1-7440031|title=Aleja Freddiego Mercury'ego oficjalnie otwarta. "To wielki zaszczyt dla Warszawy" [ZDJĘCIA]|date=25 November 2019|website=Warszawa Nasze Miasto|language=pl-PL|access-date=11 July 2020|archive-date=11 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111154327/https://warszawa.naszemiasto.pl/aleja-freddiego-mercuryego-oficjalnie-otwarta-to-wielki/ar/c1-7440031|url-status=live}}</ref> Until the Freddie Mercury Close in Feltham was dedicated, Warsaw was the only city in Europe with a street dedicated to the singer.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gozdur|first=Sandra|url=https://warszawa.naszemiasto.pl/aleja-freddiego-mercuryego-oficjalnie-otwarta-to-wielki/ar/c1-7440031|title=Aleja Freddiego Mercury'ego oficjalnie otwarta. "To wielki zaszczyt dla Warszawy" [ZDJĘCIA]|date=25 November 2019|website=Warszawa Nasze Miasto|language=pl-PL|access-date=11 July 2020|archive-date=11 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111154327/https://warszawa.naszemiasto.pl/aleja-freddiego-mercuryego-oficjalnie-otwarta-to-wielki/ar/c1-7440031|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/1208716/Freddie-Mercury-death-1991-Brian-May-Poland-street-Queen-band-music-fans-died-AIDS|title=Freddie Mercury: Brian May reveals GORGEOUS new tribute to Queen legend|work=Daily Express|access-date=24 October 2019|archive-date=25 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191125184858/https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/1208716/Freddie-Mercury-death-1991-Brian-May-Poland-street-Queen-band-music-fans-died-AIDS|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2020, Queen became the first band to join Queen Elizabeth II on a British coin. Issued by the [[Royal Mint]], the [[Five pounds (British coin)#Design|commemorative £5 coin]] features the instruments of all four band members, including Mercury's [[C. Bechstein|Bechstein]] grand piano and his mic and stand.<ref>{{cite news |title=Royal Mint unveils new £5 coin celebrating Freddie Mercury and Queen |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/queen-5-pound-coin-freddie-mercury-brian-may-royal-mint-music-legends-a9292696.html |access-date=22 January 2020 |work=The Independent |archive-date=21 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121191658/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/queen-5-pound-coin-freddie-mercury-brian-may-royal-mint-music-legends-a9292696.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 2022, a life-size statue of Mercury was unveiled in South Korea's resort island of [[Jeju Island|Jeju]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Freddie Mercury to live forever in South Korea statue |url=https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2022/0421/1293511-freddie-mercury-to-live-forever-in-south-korea-statue/ |access-date=20 April 2022 |publisher=Raidió Teilifís Éireann |archive-date=21 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421152746/https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2022/0421/1293511-freddie-mercury-to-live-forever-in-south-korea-statue/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2024, the crater [[Bulsara (crater)|Bulsara]] on the planet [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]] was named after his birth name.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Planetary Names |url=https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/16280 |access-date=3 September 2024 |website=planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov |archive-date=28 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528073753/https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/16280 |url-status=live }}</ref> Mercury has featured in international advertising to represent the UK. In 2001, a parody of Mercury, along with prints of other British music icons consisting of [[the Beatles]], Elton John, [[Spice Girls]], and [[the Rolling Stones]], appeared in the [[Eurostar]] national advertising campaign in France for the Paris to London route.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.adforum.com/creative-work/ad/player/28586/freddy/eurostar|title=Eurostar – "Freddie Mercury"|work=[[AdForum]]|access-date=8 April 2019|archive-date=8 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408175741/https://www.adforum.com/creative-work/ad/player/28586/freddy/eurostar|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2017 the airline [[Norwegian Long Haul|Norwegian]] painted the tail fin of two of its aircraft with a portrait of Mercury to mark what would have been his 71st birthday. Mercury is one of the company's six "British tail fin heroes", alongside England's [[1966 FIFA World Cup]] winning captain [[Bobby Moore]], children's author [[Roald Dahl]], novelist [[Jane Austen]], pioneering pilot [[Amy Johnson]], and aviation entrepreneur Sir [[Freddie Laker]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Caswell|first1=Mark|title=Freddie Mercury unveiled as Norwegian's latest tail fin hero|url=https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2017/07/03/freddie-mercury-unveiled-norwegians-latest-tail-fin-hero/|work=Business Traveller|date=3 July 2017|access-date=5 July 2017|archive-date=6 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306042926/https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2017/07/03/freddie-mercury-unveiled-norwegians-latest-tail-fin-hero/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Munro|first1=Scott|title=Freddie Mercury's image to appear on Norwegian aircraft|url=http://teamrock.com/news/2017-06-30/freddie-mercurys-image-to-appear-on-norwegian-aircraft|website=Teamrock.com|publisher=Future Publishing Limited|access-date=5 July 2017|date=30 June 2017|archive-date=14 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014063132/http://teamrock.com/news/2017-06-30/freddie-mercurys-image-to-appear-on-norwegian-aircraft|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Importance in AIDS history=== {{Quote box | quote = "Good evening Wembley and the world. We are here tonight to celebrate the life, and work, and dreams, of one Freddie Mercury. We're gonna give him the biggest send off in history!" | source = —Brian May at [[the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Watch Seal's powerful tribute to Freddie Mercury from 1992 with 'Who Wants To Live Forever' |url=https://www.smoothradio.com/artists/freddie-mercury/seal-queen-cover-tribute-live-forever-video/ |access-date=27 November 2022 |publisher=[[Smooth Radio (2014)|Smooth Radio]] |archive-date=27 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127154855/https://www.smoothradio.com/artists/freddie-mercury/seal-queen-cover-tribute-live-forever-video/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | align = right | width = 25% | style = padding:10px; }} As the first major rock star to die of AIDS-related complications, Mercury's death represented an important event in the history of the disease.<ref name=National/> In April 1992, the remaining members of Queen founded [[The Mercury Phoenix Trust]] and organised ''[[The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert]] for AIDS Awareness'', to celebrate the life and legacy of Mercury and raise money for AIDS research, which took place on 20 April 1992.<ref name="Stothard_1992"/> The Mercury Phoenix Trust has since raised millions of pounds for various AIDS charities. The tribute concert, which took place at London's [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] for an audience of 72,000, featured a wide variety of guests including [[Robert Plant]] (of [[Led Zeppelin]]), [[Roger Daltrey]] (of [[the Who]]), [[Extreme (band)|Extreme]], [[Elton John]], [[Metallica]], [[David Bowie]], [[Annie Lennox]], [[Tony Iommi]] (of [[Black Sabbath]]), [[Guns N' Roses]], [[Elizabeth Taylor]], [[George Michael]], [[Def Leppard]], [[Seal (musician)|Seal]] and [[Liza Minnelli]], with [[U2]] also appearing via satellite. Elizabeth Taylor spoke of Mercury as "an extraordinary rock star who rushed across our cultural landscape like a comet shooting across the sky".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.queenarchives.com/index.php?title=Queen_-_04-21-1992_-_The_Times_-_Freddie_Mercury_Tribute|title=Freddie Mercury Tribute|publisher=Queenarchives.com|access-date=27 September 2014|archive-date=16 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316100725/http://www.queenarchives.com/index.php?title=Queen_-_04-21-1992_-_The_Times_-_Freddie_Mercury_Tribute|url-status=live}}</ref> The concert was broadcast live to 76 countries and had an estimated viewing audience of 1 billion people.<ref name="ABC_2007"/> The ''Freddie for a Day'' fundraiser on behalf of the Mercury Phoenix Trust takes place every year in London, with supporters of the charity including [[Monty Python]] comedian [[Eric Idle]], and [[Mel B]] of the Spice Girls.<ref>{{cite news |title=Queen fan meets Brian May and Monty Python's Eric Idle |url=https://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/news/queen-fan-meets-brian-may-and-monty-python-s-eric-idle-1-5715452 |access-date=18 August 2019 |newspaper=Boston Standard |archive-date=18 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818163301/https://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/news/queen-fan-meets-brian-may-and-monty-python-s-eric-idle-1-5715452 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The documentary, ''Freddie Mercury: The Final Act'', aired on [[BBC Two]] in 2021 and [[The CW]] in the US in April 2022. It covered Mercury's last days, how his bandmates and friends put together the Tribute Concert at Wembley, and interviewed medical professionals, people who tested HIV positive, and others who knew someone who died of AIDS.<ref>{{cite news |title='Freddie Mercury: The Final Act' Doc Lands At The CW |url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/freddie-mercury-the-final-act-doc-the-cw-1234931879/ |last=White |first=Peter |access-date=4 September 2022 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]] |archive-date=4 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904165105/https://deadline.com/2022/02/freddie-mercury-the-final-act-doc-the-cw-1234931879/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Freddie Mercury: The Final Act |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00123q9 |access-date=4 September 2022 |publisher=BBC |archive-date=9 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009233936/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00123q9 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the [[50th International Emmy Awards]] in 2022 it won the [[International Emmy Award for Best Arts Programming]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Pedersen|first=Erik|title=International Emmys: UK's 'Vigil' & 'Sex Education' Take Top Series Awards – Winners List|url=https://deadline.com/2022/11/international-emmys-2022-winners-list-1235179738/|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=21 November 2022|access-date=26 November 2022|archive-date=26 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126091923/https://deadline.com/2022/11/international-emmys-2022-winners-list-1235179738/|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Appearances in lists of influential individuals=== Several popularity polls conducted over the past decade indicate that Mercury's reputation may have been enhanced since his death. For instance, in a 2002 vote to determine who the UK public considers the greatest British people in history, Mercury was ranked 58 in the list of the [[100 Greatest Britons]], broadcast by the BBC.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2208671.stm |title=BBC 100 great British heroes |work=BBC News |date=21 August 2002 |access-date=11 July 2010 |archive-date=4 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804133026/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2208671.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> He was further listed at the 52nd spot in a 2007 Japanese national survey of the 100 most influential heroes.<ref name="James_2007"/> Although he had been criticised by gay activists for hiding his HIV status, author Paul Russell included Mercury in his book ''The Gay 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Gay Men and Lesbians, Past and Present''.<ref name="Russell_2002"/> In 2008, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Mercury 18 on its ''Top 100 Singers Of All Time''.<ref name="rollingstone.com2"/> Mercury was voted the greatest male singer in [[MTV]]'s 22 Greatest Voices in Music.<ref name="Fitzpatrick_2006"/> In 2011 a ''Rolling Stone'' readers' pick placed Mercury in second place of the magazine's Best Lead Singers of All Time.<ref name="RSBestSingers"/> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine placed him second on their ''25 Best Rock Frontmen (and Women) of All Time'' list in 2015,<ref name="Billboard_2015">{{cite magazine |title=The 25 Best Rock Frontmen (and Women) of All Time |url=https://www.billboard.com/photos/6721847/best-rock-singers-of-all-time |access-date=10 March 2019 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=16 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816012120/http://www.billboard.com/photos/6721847/best-rock-singers-of-all-time |url-status=live }}</ref> and third on their ''50 Greatest Rock Lead Singers of All Time'' list in 2023.<ref name="Billboard_2023">{{cite magazine|access-date=28 October 2023|title=The 50 Greatest Rock Lead Singers of All Time|url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-rock-singers-bands-lead-vocalists/|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=16 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816164531/https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-rock-singers-bands-lead-vocalists/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, ''[[LA Weekly]]'' ranked him first on the list of 20 greatest singers of all time, in any genre.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weekly |first=L. A. |date=8 March 2016 |title=The 20 Best Singers of All Time (VIDEO) |url=https://www.laweekly.com/the-20-best-singers-of-all-time-video/ |access-date=20 July 2022 |work=LA Weekly |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2023, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Mercury at No. 14 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=1 January 2023|title=The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/freddie-mercury-6-1234643195/|access-date=16 October 2023|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|archive-date=28 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228205721/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/freddie-mercury-6-1234643195/|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Portrayal on stage=== On 24 November 1997, a [[monodrama]] about Freddie Mercury's life, titled ''[[Mercury: The Afterlife and Times of a Rock God]]'', opened in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lefkowitz |first=David |title=Freddie Mercury To Rise Again, Off-B'way, Nov. 24 |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/35833-Freddie-Mercury-To-Rise-Again-Off-Bway-Nov-24 |work=Playbill |date=24 November 1997 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021131502/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/35833-Freddie-Mercury-To-Rise-Again-Off-Bway-Nov-24 |archive-date=21 October 2012}}</ref> It presented Mercury in the hereafter: examining his life, seeking redemption and searching for his true self.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Marone|first=Mark|title=On Stage|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3gkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA46|magazine=Billboard|date=13 December 1997|page=46}}</ref> The play was written and directed by [[Charles Messina]] and the part of Mercury was played by [[Khalid Gonçalves]] (né Paul Gonçalves) and then later, [[Amir Darvish]].<ref>{{cite web|author-link1=Robert Simonson|last=Simonson |first=Robert |title=Bohemian Rhapsody: Freddy Mercury Play Begins Performances Off Broadway, Jan. 11 |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/83716-Bohemian-Rhapsody-Freddy-Mercury-Play-Begins-Performances-Off-Broadway-Jan-11 |work=Playbill |date=11 January 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021131929/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/83716-Bohemian-Rhapsody-Freddy-Mercury-Play-Begins-Performances-Off-Broadway-Jan-11 |archive-date=21 October 2012}}</ref> [[Billy Squier]] opened one of the shows with an acoustic performance of a song he had written about Mercury titled "I Have Watched You Fly".<ref>{{cite news|last=Barron|first=James|title=Public Lives; Theater Records|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E2DC153FF93BA25751C0A96E958260|newspaper=The New York Times|date=18 February 1998|author2=Martin, Douglas|access-date=8 February 2017|archive-date=31 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331092156/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E2DC153FF93BA25751C0A96E958260|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016 a musical titled ''Royal Vauxhall'' premiered at the [[Royal Vauxhall Tavern]] in Vauxhall, London. Written by [[Desmond O'Connor (cabaret performer)|Desmond O'Connor]], the musical told the alleged tales of the nights that Mercury, Kenny Everett and [[Princess Diana]] spent out at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London in the 1980s.<ref name="Diana"/> Following several successful runs in London, the musical was taken to the [[Edinburgh Fringe Festival]] in August 2016 starring Tom Giles as Mercury.<ref name="Diana">{{cite news |title=A cheeky trip down memory lane |url=https://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/article/84245-royal-vauxhall/ |access-date=21 July 2018 |publisher=Edinburgh Festival |archive-date=30 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330012151/https://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/article/84245-royal-vauxhall/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> ===Portrayal in film and television=== The 2018 biographical film ''[[Bohemian Rhapsody (film)|Bohemian Rhapsody]]'' was, at its release, the highest-grossing [[Musical film|musical]] biographical film of all time.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen biopic surpasses $900m at box office |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47939549 |access-date=15 April 2019 |work=BBC News |archive-date=16 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416141829/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47939549 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Mendelson |first=Scott |title='Bohemian Rhapsody' Remains Box Office Queen With Supersonic $285M Cume |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/11/11/bohemian-rhapsody-remains-box-office-queen-with-supersonic-285m-cume/ |work=[[Forbes]] |date=11 November 2018 |access-date=12 November 2018 |archive-date=11 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211123550/https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/11/11/bohemian-rhapsody-remains-box-office-queen-with-supersonic-285m-cume/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Mercury was portrayed by [[Rami Malek]], who received the [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Academy Award]], [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|BAFTA Award]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Golden Globe Award]] and [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role|Screen Actors Guild Award]] for Best Actor, for his performance.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rami Malek wins Leading Actor BAFTA 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p070j7gp |access-date=7 March 2019 |publisher=BBC |archive-date=17 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017102103/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p070j7gp |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Aridi |first1=Sara |title=2019 Oscar Winners: The Full List |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/24/movies/oscar-winners.html |access-date=7 March 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=24 February 2019 |archive-date=25 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225033142/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/24/movies/oscar-winners.html |url-status=live }}</ref> While the film received mixed reviews and contained historical inaccuracies, it won the Golden Globe for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/live/2019/jan/06/golden-globes-2019-live-latest-news-red-carpet-winners-list-speeches|title=Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book defy odds at Golden Globes 2019 – as it happened|date=7 January 2019|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=18 March 2019|archive-date=10 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110230411/https://www.theguardian.com/film/live/2019/jan/06/golden-globes-2019-live-latest-news-red-carpet-winners-list-speeches|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="varietyreview">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/bohemian-rhapsody-critics-reviews-roundup-rami-malek-1202990633/|title='Bohemian Rhapsody' Sees Mixed Reviews as Critics Praise Rami Malek|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|last=Yang|first=Rachel|date=23 October 2018|access-date=24 October 2018|archive-date=30 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130014931/https://variety.com/2018/film/news/bohemian-rhapsody-critics-reviews-roundup-rami-malek-1202990633/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="greene">{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/freddie-mercury-queen-biopic-bohemian-rhapsody-movie-fact-check-746195/|title=Fact-Checking the Queen Biopic, 'Bohemian Rhapsody'|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Greene|first=Andy|date=1 November 2018|access-date=8 November 2018|archive-date=30 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330082200/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/freddie-mercury-queen-biopic-bohemian-rhapsody-movie-fact-check-746195/|url-status=live}}</ref> Mercury appeared as a supporting character in the BBC television drama ''Best Possible Taste: The [[Kenny Everett]] Story'', first broadcast in October 2012. He was portrayed by actor [[James Floyd (actor)|James Floyd]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00xzvlw|title=Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story|publisher=BBC|date=7 October 2012|access-date=21 October 2012|archive-date=21 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121073951/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00xzvlw|url-status=live}}</ref> He was played by actor John Blunt in ''The Freddie Mercury Story: Who Wants to Live Forever'', first broadcast in the UK on [[Channel 5 (UK)|Channel 5]] in November 2016. Although the programme was criticised for focusing on Mercury's love life and sexuality, Blunt's performance and likeness to the singer did receive praise.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://metro.co.uk/2016/11/20/the-freddie-mercury-story-blasted-for-wooden-acting-as-fans-get-all-emotional-over-queen-stars-death-6271514/ |title=Channel 5's Freddie Mercury doco-drama blasted for 'wooden' acting by fans |author=Nankervis, Troy |date=20 November 2016 |work=Metro |access-date=22 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122222837/http://metro.co.uk/2016/11/20/the-freddie-mercury-story-blasted-for-wooden-acting-as-fans-get-all-emotional-over-queen-stars-death-6271514/ |archive-date=22 November 2016 }}</ref> In 2018, [[David Avery]] portrayed Mercury in the ''[[Urban Myths (TV series)|Urban Myths]]'' comedy series in an episode focusing on the antics backstage at Live Aid, and Kayvan Novak portrayed Mercury in an episode titled "[[The Sex Pistols]] vs. [[Bill Grundy]]".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://skyvision.sky.com/programme/20380/urban-myths-backstage-at-live-aid |title=Urban Myths: Backstage at Live Aid |publisher=[[Sky (United Kingdom)|Sky]] |date=15 June 2018 |access-date=15 June 2018 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330080701/https://skyvision.sky.com/programme/20380/urban-myths-backstage-at-live-aid |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Urban Myths: Backstage At Live Aid">{{Cite news |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/urban_myths_backstage_at_live_aid/ |title=Urban Myths: Backstage At Live Aid |website=comedy.co.uk |date=15 June 2018 |access-date=15 June 2018 |archive-date=30 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330012149/https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/urban_myths_backstage_at_live_aid/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2018/05/31/urban-myths-sex-pistols-vs-bill-grundy-review-highly-entertaining/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2018/05/31/urban-myths-sex-pistols-vs-bill-grundy-review-highly-entertaining/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Urban Myths: The Sex Pistols vs Bill Grundy, review|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=15 June 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He was also portrayed by [[Eric McCormack]] (as the character [[Will Truman]]) on ''[[Will & Grace]]'' in the October 2018 episode titled "[[Tex and the City]]".<ref>{{cite news |title=Will & Grace recap: The 5 best burns in season 10, episode 3 |url=https://hiddenremote.com/2018/10/18/will-grace-recap-best-burns-is10e3/ |access-date=21 October 2018 |website=Hidden Remote.com |archive-date=30 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330012149/https://hiddenremote.com/2018/10/18/will-grace-recap-best-burns-is10e3/ |url-status=live }}</ref> === Auction === From 4 August to 5 September 2023, an exhibition titled, Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own, saw almost 1,500 items of Mercury's, which he had given to his former partner Mary Austin, displayed at [[Sotheby's]] in [[New Bond Street]], London before being sold across six auctions. Nearly 140,000 fans visited the exhibition, which Sotheby's had called "the life and work of Britain's greatest rock showman of the 20th century".<ref name="Sothebys"/> A [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]] baby grand piano used by Mercury to compose many of the band's hits, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", sold for £1.7 million, while his handwritten lyrics for the song went for £1.38 million.<ref name="auction">{{Cite news |date=6 September 2023 |title=Freddie Mercury: Queen star's piano and other items fetch high prices at auction |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-66729573 |access-date=7 September 2023 |archive-date=6 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906234436/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-66729573 |url-status=live }}</ref> The door of his [[Garden Lodge, Kensington|Garden Lodge]] home in west London, covered in graffiti left by fans, went for £412,750.<ref name="auction"/> The crown and cloak designed by Diana Moseley for the 1986 Magic tour (his final concerts) sold for £635,000.<ref name="Sothebys"/> A pair of black striped [[Adidas]] high-top shoes (his principal stage footwear from 1984 onward) sold for £127,000.<ref name="Sothebys"/> The final evening sale at Sotheby's on 6 September took in £12.2 million ($15.4 million), while the six sales in total reached £39.9 million ($50.4 million), smashing Sotheby's pre-auction estimates.<ref name="Sothebys">{{cite news |title=Freddie Mercury: A Full Set of 'White Glove' Sales Close on the Highest Note |url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/freddie-mercurys-opening-night-makes-history |access-date=21 September 2023 |agency=Sothebys}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Freddie Mercury Auction Smashes Estimates, Netting $50.4 Million |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-13/freddie-mercury-sotheby-s-london-auction-nets-over-50-million |access-date=28 October 2023 |publisher=Bloomberg L.P.}}</ref>
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