Freddie Mercury had his reasons why he did not reveal the truth about his sexuality and AIDS diagnosis before his death.
Mercury's bandmates in Queen and his close friends always knew he was attracted to men, but the singer was never truly open about it in public nor he ever came out. Before telling them his struggles, the late frontman once feared revealing his sexuality even to his Queen bandmates.
Why Freddie Mercury Initially Felt Scared of Revealing His Sexuality
Queen continues to perform with its surviving members following Mercury's death, except for John Deacon, who left the group as he does not believe the band can continue without its frontman.
In an interview with The Mirror, Brian May expressed how much he missed feeling all the butterflies whenever he watched Mercury perform on stage in front of him. The guitarist called the late frontman "a fantastic mate and a great brother" who broke the rules and took risks for the band.
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Elsewhere in the conversation, he opened up about the time Mercury was struggling with his sexuality since the singer thought Queen members and the world might disapprove of it.
"I know he struggled with it, but he plucked up the courage to be what he wanted to be," he continued. "He opened up his heart and he gave it everything he had. He was proud of himself as a musician above all else."
May also applauded Mercury for screaming his passion and showing his love for the genre despite having such thoughts.
When Did Freddie Mercury Reveal His Sexuality?
Following the "Bohemian Rhapsody" hitmaker's death, it was reported that he did not speak about his AIDS diagnosis to protect Queen and everyone close to his heart. The world only found out about his condition when he revealed it publicly before his untimely death on Nov. 24, 1991, due to bronchial pneumonia caused by AIDS-related complications.
In his final months, he kept himself away from the spotlight and marked his last stage appearance with Queen at the 1990 Brit Awards. He spent his last moments with Peter Freestone, Jim Hutton, and Mary Austin.
Several news outlets, including The Sun (per Smooth Radio), sparked rumors about his deteriorating health and revealed that he tested for HIV/AIDS as early as 1986 but only shared his struggles through his publicist, Roxy Meades.
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