Freddie Mercury dies of AIDS the day after announcing his illness,

the singer of the group Queen, 45, died yesterday in London

The British rock star Freddie Mercury, 45, leader of the British group Queen, died late yesterday at
his home in Kensington, London (United Kingdom), one day after announcing that he was infected
with the AIDS virus. Roxy Meade, a spokesperson for the musician, reported in the early hours of
today that Mercury had died “as a result of bronchopneumonia caused by AIDS.”

Roxy Meade reported the death of Freddie Mercury with a terse statement containing a single
sentence: “Freddie Mercury died completely peacefully tonight in Kensington, London. His death
was the result of bronchopneumonia caused by AIDS,” reported the Reuters agency. The body of
the rock star will be cremated this week in a private ceremony. London music critics stressed
yesterday, after hearing the news, that Mercury’s personality had deeply marked Queen’s entire
career. “His exuberance on stage and his charisma were decisive in the success of Queen, who will
not be able to survive the death of their leader,” explained a specialist on the Sky News network.

Meade himself had put an end to recent speculation about the singer’s health status published in
the British press on Saturday due to his sick appearance. “In response to reports and conjectures
that have appeared in the press about me over the past two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have
tested positive for the virus and that I have AIDS,” Mercury said in the statement provided by his
spokeswoman. “It’s time for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth, and I want
everyone to join me, my doctors and everyone who suffers from this terrible disease to fight
against it,” said the leader of Queen.

Photographs of the rock star published in several British tabloids, in which the singer’s extreme
thinness and sickly appearance could be seen, had sparked a wave of rumours. Along with this
information, it was pointed out that several of his friends had recently died of AIDS. However,
Mercury had denied these comments, since, according to his circle of friends, the singer kept
strictly secret everything that concerned his private life.

Queen’s latest LP, Innuendo, contains the song The Show Must go on, which, in the opinion of his
friends, reflected Mercury’s state of mind. The singer was already aware of his illness when he
decided to record this song, which has reached number one on the British charts. Mercury, a
brand new British rock star in the last 20 years, was another of the celebrities who publicly
acknowledged that she had AIDS in an attempt to raise awareness of this disease.

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