“None of my lovers could replace Mary. She was my only friend, my wife…”
“My only friend is Mary, and I don’t want anyone else,” Freddie Mercury once said about the “love of his life” Mary Austin.
Information about the unconventional orientation of the legendary Queen soloist leaked to the media. But the one he really loved always remained in the shadows.
Mary was 19 years old when, in the early 1970s, she first met Freddie. His real name was Farrokh Bulsara.
She was working at the Biba fashion store in Kensington, West London, when she first saw the “wild-looking artistic musician.”
In an interview , she recalled:
“He was absolutely unique and confident, unlike me. It took me three years to really fall in love with him. But I had no such feeling for anyone. I felt safe with him.”
They started renting a small apartment together. Mercury was not a celebrity then. Their relationship lasted 7 years, and the singer would repeatedly say that Mary had become irreplaceable for him.
Although their relationship became more and more platonic, allegedly because of Freddie’s infatuation with men, the friendship became stronger.
“Our romance ended in tears, but a deep connection grew out of them, and no one can take that away from us,” Freddie once said. “None of my lovers could replace Mary. She was my only friend, my wife. Yes, I perceived this relationship as a marriage,” he once said.
He bought her an apartment next to his mansion. He was revealing his soul to her. She took care of him when it turned out that the musician had AIDS.
She was by Freddie’s side when he passed away, and he left her most of his fortune.
“If things were different, you would be my wife, and in any case it would’ve been yours,” he wrote in his will.
Austin married businessman Nicholas Holford, but their marriage was short-lived.
She also had an affair with artist Piers Cameron. From Pierce, she gave birth to two sons. But she broke up with Cameron, too.
Mary, according to her friends, could not find a man whose mental qualities would be comparable to those possessed by Freddie.
“I lost my family when Freddie died. He was everything to me – except for my sons,” she said after his death.
Mary Austin received at least $51.3 million for the film “Bohemian Rhapsody”. At the same time, 67-year-old Mary did not participate in the filming, and had nothing to do with the script.
She was only required to give consent to the shooting of the film, which cost $ 55 million. What did she get this huge amount of money for?
Before his death, Freddie bequeathed her 50 percent of his future income from works related to his name.
The members of the Queen group – Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon – divided these financial receipts into four parts.
In his will, Freddie divided his share between Mary Austin, his parents and his own sister. He bequeathed 50 percent to Mary, 25 percent to his parents and the same amount to his sister.
After the death of their parents, their share went to Austin. So now she gets 75 percent.
Mary rarely talks to journalists. She lives in a huge mansion – 28 rooms – in the west part of London for $ 25.6 million. It used to belong to Mercury.
She got not only the house, but also a collection of works of art and luxurious pieces of Louis XV furniture, which Freddie used to collect.
One look at these photos confirms that these people loved each other with all their heart!
Look at how Mary’s eyes are shining, and how gently Freddie kisses and hugs her!
Do not forget about Jim Hutton, with whom Freddie lived the last 7 years of his life. But in the pictures with him, Freddie is completely different.
After all, we all need someone to love. But Freddie definitely found a kindred spirit in Mary Austin!
