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More than thirty years after his death, a new biography throws a new light on life and legacy of the Queen singer. In Love, Freddie raises a 48-year-old woman, called “B”, the claim to be Freddie Mercury’s biological daughter. The unveiling is based on personal letters and 17 previously unknown diaries that Mercury supposedly left her. There has been no official confirmation so far – but the story raises many questions. This FAQ gives an overview.
The most important questions about the alleged daughter of Freddie Mercury
Did Freddie Mercury really have a daughter?
According to the new biography Love, Freddie by Lesley-Ann Jones: Yes. The woman, called B, emerged from an affair with the wife of a close friend in 1976. Mercury is said to have found out about it early – and have been there for her from the moment of her birth. “Freddie Mercury was and is my father,” B writes in a letter to the author. “We had a very close and loving relationship from the moment of my birth and over the last fifteen years of his life.”
Who is the daughter?
Today, “B”, according to the daughter’s pseudonym, is 48 years old and works as a medical specialist in Europe. She wants to stay anonymous. “The circumstances of my birth may seem unusual or even scandalous for most people. But that shouldn’t surprise anyone. It never reduced his commitment to love me and to be there for me. He kept me like a valuable treasure,” it says in the letter.
Is there any evidence?
According to the book, Mercury had handed over 17 personal diaries to his daughter, which she had kept secret to this day. The records begin on June 20, 1976, just two days after the queen single “You’re My Best Friend”. In them, he wrote about his childhood in Zanzibar, the flight after the 1964 revolution, his boarding school in India and his later career in England – until the last entry on July 31, 1991, four months before his death on the consequences of AIDS.
Was a DNA test done?
So far there are no publicly known DNA tests that would confirm Freddie Mercury’s claimed fatherhood to the anonymous woman “B”.
Did anyone know about it?
According to the book, only Freddie Mercury’s closest circle is said to have known about the existence of his daughter.
How was Freddie Mercury as a father?
According to “B”, Freddie Mercury had a loving and very close relationship with her – from her birth to his death. “We had a very close and loving relationship from the moment of my birth and over the last fifteen years of his life,” she writes. Mercury was very caring: “It never reduced his commitment to love me and be there for me. He kept me like a valuable treasure.”
Why does that only come to light now?
B explains that she wanted to have Freddie Mercury “after more than three decades full of lies, speculations and distortions. The diaries are “the written testimony of his thoughts, memories and feelings about everything he experienced”. And: “The fact that I now decide to go public in my center of life is my decision alone. I was never pushed to do so.”
What does the biographer say?
The author of the book, Lesley-Ann Jones, told the Daily Mailshe was initially skeptical. “My first impulse was to question everything,” she said. “But I am absolutely sure that she is not a fantas. Nobody could have falsified all of this. Why should she have worked with me for three years without ever asking for anything?”
Freddie Mercury’s daughter: money and inheritance
Does Freddie Mercury’s daughter make financial requirements?
According to Lesley-Ann Jones, this is not the case.
Did Freddie Mercury support his daughter financially?
Allegedly yes – but not officially about his will. According to biographer Lesley-Ann Jones, the musician supported his daughter via a private agreement that was made outside the public. “She was not considered by Freddie’s will, but by a private, legal agreement, so that her name does not appear there,” explains Jones. The husband of “B” s mother – her stepfather – is also said to have left her a fortune.
What about Freddie Mercury’s heir?
Mercury died in 1991, without publicly known children. In his will, he bequeathed the majority of his assets-including his house in Kensington and the income from Queen Music-to his long-time friend Mary Austin. Further shares went to his parents, his sister and his partner Jim Hutton. “B” was not legally recognized as a daughter and was therefore not entitled to inheritance. Such a claim would hardly be enforceable today: too much time has passed, the will has long been final.