Personal items that once belonged to Queen frontman Freddie Mercury were auctioned off, and it raked in well over $2 million.
The auction was handled by Sotheby's, and it included one of Mercury's most prized possessions, his 1973 Yamaha G2 baby grand piano; it was the very same one he used while he was composing "Bohemian Rhapsody." It was reportedly sold for £1,742,000 or roughly $2,172,096.
Other personal items like hand-written lyrics Mercury wrote for Queen were also auctioned, as well as a stunning Guilloche enamel Nephrite desk clock and a Tiffany seven-light lily table lamp.
Despite the huge success of the auction, Mercury's friends and family were not as pleased with the auction itself; they were devastated.
Brian May 'Devastated' With Freddie Mercury Auction
According to reports, in an Instagram post, fellow Queen member, Brian May, lamented how his friend's personal belongings were sold off to strangers.
"Inescapably thinking so much about Freddie in these strange days," the guitarist wrote. "At the time this photo was taken I'm sure it didn't seem very important to see Freddie's fingers dancing on my own homemade guitar. Now it summons up waves of affection and great memories."
He expressed his opinion about the auction clear as day: he was not pleased.
"He is so missed. Tomorrow while I'm speaking passionately to Welsh farmers about cows and badgers and bovine TB, Freddie's most intimate personal effects, and writings that were part of what we shared for so many years, will go under the hammer, to be knocked down to the highest bidder and dispersed forever.
"I can't look. To us, his closest friends and family, it's too sad."
Freddie Mercury's Art Collection
Aside from the piano and other furniture in his home, Mercury also had a great art collection, which included prints by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, and more.
These items were all sold by Mary Austin, the singer's friend, to whom he left his house and possessions when he died.
"Mary Austin has lived with the collection and has cared for the collection for more than three decades," said Gabriel Heaton from Sotheby's.
They also noted how Mercury "was not interested in having a museum of his life but he loved auctions," which is why his personal belongings are being auctioned off instead of being kept in a museum.
READ ALSO: Teacher FIRED After Calling Freddie Mercury a 'F****t': 'I Was Saying It As a Joke'
