last songs written and recorded by Freddie Mercury before his death in November 1991 at age 45, Queen guitarist Brian May added guitars only after Mercury’s passing. The song—a mellow tribute to the beauty of chilly winters—was included on the posthumous 1995 Queen album, Made In Heaven.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.Mercury was diagnosed with HIV in 1987. He kept his diagnosis a secret from the public but told his bandmates, adding that he intended to “keep working until I f*cking drop.”A post shared by Freddie Mercury (@freddiemercury)Speculation about his health began to mount when he began to lose weight.
The band released their 13th album, The Miracle, in 1989. Unusually, they chose not to tour for it. Mercury told the BBC then that he wanted to break from the “album – tour – album – tour” routine, although it was more likely his health wouldn’t stand the rigors of performing night after night.May later said Mercury was keen to keep recording, however.“He just kept saying.
‘Write me more. Write me stuff. I want to just sing this and do it and when I am gone you can finish it off.’ He had no fear, really.”Queen’s next album, Innuendo, was recorded between March 1989 and November 1990.
Tabloid reporters increasingly hung around outside Mercury’s London home. This prompted the band to relocate to Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, to record the bulk of the record.It would be the last album released before Mercury’s death, and included the singles “These Are The Days Of Our Lives” and “The Show Must Go On.” The latter was released just a few weeks before Mercury’s death and features one of his most soaring vocal performances, even though his health had begun to seriously deteriorate.Mercury and Queen wrote many songs during and just after the Innuendo sessions, and this included Mercury penning “A Winter’s Tale.”He sung the track and played the keyboard. Unusually, he
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