Sotheby’s auctions Queen singer Freddie Mercury’s belongings

The contents of Freddie Mercury, the singer and frontman of the British rock group Queen, who died in 1991, will be auctioned in London in September. That’s what Sotheby’s has Wednesday morning with a press release announced.

Across six auctions, the auction house is offering 1,500 lots from August 31 to September 13, all from Garden Lodge, the 28-room Victorian home in West London’s Kensington where Mercury, an avid art collector, spent the last eleven years of his life. lived life. These include costumes and other props he used on stage, handwritten lyrics and artwork, and other household items.

Highlights, from a rock historical point of view, are the fake ermine crown and royal mantle that Mercury wore on his last Queen tour in 1986 (expected revenue 68,000-90,000 euros). And the handwritten first draft of the lyrics to ‘We Are The Champions’. Mercury wrote the lyrics on nine sheets, including letterhead from the British Midland Airways airline (225,000-340,000 euros). Sotheby’s will display all items in its London showrooms for a month from August 4.

The contributor is Mary Austin, Mercury’s partner in the early 1970s and later his main heir. She had lived in Garden Lodge since the singer’s death and left the interior largely intact. Whether the house will also be sold is not yet certain.

The auction house expects a proceeds of 6 million pounds, about 6.8 million euros. Austin donates a portion of the proceeds to two charities: the Mercury Phoenix Trust, founded by Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor and Queen manager Jim Beach after Mercury’s death, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Mercury died of AIDS.