Mary Austin told Freddie to leave the house as a memorial, but he gave it to her.
Freddie Mercury born Farrokh Bulsara died on 24 November 1991 (aged 45) in Kensington, London, England
NOVEMBER 27, 1991 – Freddie Mercury’s private funeral service was conducted in London, England by a Zoroastrian priest for 35 of the singer’s close friends and family with Elton John and the remaining members of Queen among those in attendance.Mercury’s coffin was carried into the chapel to the sounds of “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”/”You’ve Got a Friend” by Aretha Franklin.
The story of that day by the great friend Elton John
On a cold and foggy morning of November 27, 1991, in a small chapel of a church in London, the funeral of Freddie Mercury, the legendary leader of Queen who died on November 24, 1991 at the age of 45, was celebrated.
Only 35-40 people attended the ceremony, including his parents, the other three Queen members, Elton John, and other close associates. The ceremony was performed by Zoroastrian priests in the Avestan language according to the principles of the ancient religion with which Freddie Mercury was raised. The only words the priests spoke in English were to ask people to stand up and sit down.
That day, among the few people present was Elton John, a friend of Freddie's for nearly twenty years. The two shared the highs (and lows) of their extraordinary careers of fame, success and many vices. The two were so close that they used nicknames when talking, Freddie called himself Melina and Elton was Sharon.
Elton described the farewell ceremony to his close friend as particularly "depressing": "After his death, I believe the funeral was in November and we went to the Kensal Rise crematorium. Freddie was a Parsi, he was Persian, and the whole ceremony it was in Parsees that none of us, none of the band that went there to pay homage to him understood a word. It was really, really, really demoralizing and upsetting.
"Elton was really friends with Freddie and a few years after his death he parried in a very resigned and angry way about the fact that Mercury could have been saved if the antiretroviral drugs had been developed a few months in advance: "A year later they could have kept him alive. "Instead, there was nothing they could do for him. He never managed to tell me he was sick. I visited him often when he was dying, although I never managed to stay with him for more than an hour." It was too upsetting. I think he didn't want me to see him that way. "
In London there is the house where Freddie lived his last days, called Garden Lodge, and located at number 1 of Logan Place, not far from Earl's Court tube station. On the surrounding wall, even today,30 years after his death, ten of fans go to leave messages of affection.
But, anyone who really wants to pay homage to the most famous rock star of all time obviously wonders where Freddie Mercury is buried. And it is precisely at this point that the legend takes over. His funeral took place in London, where he was cremated: in the Kansal Green cemetery. The ashes, as per his will, were entrusted to Mary Austin.
Many believe that the ashes were scattered in the waters of Lake Geneva, in front of the Montreux where he had his home (and which today honors him with a statue).
In 2013, however, a "strange" tombstone was noticed in the Kansal Green cemetery: "In Loving Memory of Farrokh Bulsara Pour Etre Toujours Pres De Toi Avec Tout Mon Amour", it reported. By Freddie Mercury, Farrokh Bulsara was the real name. The tomb bore the exact dates of birth and death, and was marked with an M (like Mary). Thus, Kansal Green began to be a destination for pilgrimages, although - only two weeks after its "discovery" - that tombstone disappeared.
Interviewed by the English press, Austin clarified (or maybe not): "I assure you that Freddie is not in that cemetery. He didn't want anyone to get him out, like some famous people did. Fans can become obsessive. He wanted it to remain a secret, and it will remain a secret. Nobody will ever know where she is buried, because that was his wish, ”she declared, explaining how the ashes were scattered by her, alone, in a place that not even her family knows. Where Freddie Mercury is buried, therefore, will probably never be known.
One day, after Sunday lunch, he suddenly said to her, "I know exactly where I want you to put me. But nobody has to know, because I don't want anyone to take me out. I just want to rest in peace."
And that is exactly how things went. After Freddie's death, Mary kept the urn with his ashes for two long years in her bedroom. Then, when she was sure she could act unnoticed, she sneaked the singer's mortal remains exactly where he had pointed them out.
