Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer-songwriter, record producer and lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of popular music, and was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range.

Mercury was born in Zanzibar to Parsi parents from India. After growing up in Zanzibar and then India, his family moved to Middlesex, England, in his late teens. He formed Queen in 1970 with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Mercury wrote numerous hits for Queen, including “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Killer Queen”, “Somebody to Love”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, and “We Are the Champions”. He also led a solo career while performing with Queen, and occasionally served as a producer and guest musician for other artists. Mercury died in 1991 at age 45 due to complications from AIDS, having confirmed the day before his death that he had contracted the disease.

As a member of Queen, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. In 1992, a year after his death, Mercury was posthumously awarded the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music, and a tribute concert was held at Wembley Stadium, London. In 2002, he was placed number 58 in the BBC’s 2002 poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Mercury was voted best male singer of all time in a 2005 poll organised by Blender and MTV2.

Mercury was also ranked at 18 on the 2008 Rolling Stone list of the 100 greatest singers ever; and ranked the second best lead singer in a 2011 Rolling Stone readers’ pick. Mercury was described by AllMusic as “one of rock’s greatest all-time entertainers,” with “one of the greatest voices in all of music.” Upon its release in November 2018, the biographical film about Mercury and Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, became the highest-grossing musical biographical film of all time.