Freddie made millions as the lead singer and songwriter for Queen. He loved to spend money on extravagant things. But he was always extraordinarily generous. He kept a black book filled with friends’ birthdays so never forgot one. He was always thinking of others and how to make them happy, say those who knew him best. And at Christmas, he had two extraordinary traditions.
A new Channel 5 documentary spoke to many of those in Freddie’s close circle of trusted friends.
His close friend and PA Peter Freestone, christened Phoebe by Freddie revealed the star’s generosity.
Peter said: “It was Freddie’s tradition that any of his friends that had no family and were going to be alone, came to Garden Lodge. It was turkey on Christmas day then a baked ham on Boxing day. Tradition, tradition, tradition…”
The house would always be beautifully decorated, mainly by ex-girlfriend Mary Austin with Freddie supervising.
READ MORE: Freddie Mercury JOY at special Thanksgiving dinner at home
There were fairy lights and garlands hanging everywhere, a huge tree and tables laden with food.
Freddie’s driver and friend Gordon Dalziel remembers Christmas crackers from Tiffany stuffed with silver trinkets.
HIs head roadie for many years, Peter Hince, recalls being gifted with huge amounts of alcohol every year, accompanied by a personalised and cheeky card.
But Freddie was also always thinking of those far less fortunate who would be going through the hardest of times at Christmas.
In the early days of the AIDS crisis, those suffering from the killer virus were often pariahs. Many were abandoned by family. Many had already lost their families when they came out as gay.
Fear of the virus or the difficulty of watching a loved one dying kept other friends away
AIDS patients would often have nobody to look after them in hospital, which would have been especially painful at Christmas.
Journalist and friend David Wigg said: “On every Christmas, Freddie would arrange to pay for all the meals at hospitals where people were suffering from AIDS or HIV. He would provide Christmas dinners for them, every year.”
Friend and famous ballet dancer Wayne Sleep said such an act was typical of the Queen star.
He added: “Freddie was always thinking about other people and about how he could bring joy to them.”
Although Freddie fully embraced Christmas traditions when his family moved to the UK in his teens, he was also a product of his upbringing in Zanzibar. Zoroastrian traditional value celebrate love and kindness.
No matter how rich or famous he became, Freddie always held those values close to his heart.