Freddie Mercury: Poignant memories of Queen legend by the man by his side when he died

Freddie Mercury died at home in his lavish West Kensington house on November 24, 1991. Dave Clark, of the Dave Clark Five, was by his side when he passed, having been part of a small group of close friends who kept a constant vigil by the Queen legend’s bedside in the last days of his life. In an interview with Express.co.uk, Clark shared his memories of the Bohemian Rhapsody singer ahead of the anniversary of his death.

When asked how Mercury wanted to be remembered by his fans and those who loved him, Clark said: “He didn’t take anything too serious.

“The new album of Freddie that’s out, Never Boring, it’s an amazing title because that’s Freddie! He was never boring.”

The DC5 star, who was the only person with Mercury at the moment of his death, also recalled the person he knew in private, away from the cameras and bright lights of the stage.

“He was very artistic,” he said. “He was quite shy, Freddie was.

READ MORE: FREDDIE MERCURY’S INTIMATE LAST BIRTHDAY PARTY REVEALED

Even his Queen bandmates didn’t know the full truth until a couple of months before he died.

In a raw interview, filmed days after Mercury’s death, Brian May told TV-am: “It was a very private thing with him.

“We knew intuitively something was going on but it wasn’t talked about. He didn’t officially tell us until just over a few months before he went.”

Shortly before he died, Mercury stopped taking his AIDS medication, with his friend and long-time PA Peter Freestone recently telling Express.co.uk he believes the star chose to let go when he did.

“I tend to feel that Freddie had decided he had had enough and it was time to go under his own terms,” Freestone said.

Just two months before he died, Mercury celebrated his 45th birthday at home with a small group of his closest friends.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Clark, who has remastered The Dave Clark Five’s greatest hits from their incredible release for All The Hits, set for release in January, recalled: “On his last birthday, he just invited 30 of his closest friends and there was 30 different courses, done by his personal chef, Joe Fanelli, and 30 different types of wine to go with each course.”

Chuckling fondly, the musician added: “Never boring.”

The Dave Clark Five’s All The Hits will be released January 24 2020 on BMG.

source: express.co.uk