Freddie Mercury was, without a doubt, a great entertainer, the epitome of the excesses of the rock. In his life there were private jets, parties where dwarves served cocaine on silver platters, and an endless series of Lovers male.
However Away from the spotlight and stardom, Freddie's friends and family were able to see a totally different side of the legendary singer of Queen.
They enjoyed a shy man who was fascinated by collecting Japanese art and, among many other things, listening to opera every time someone broke his heart.
That sharp separation between his public and private life in Freddie provides a sense of mystery which is as fascinating today as it was exactly 31 years ago when he died.
According to his closest friends, unlike his stage presence, unless he knew someone well, Freddie Mercury could be shy.
This artist was truly concerned that people would be disappointed that he was not the person they saw on stage, but the side that few knew was far from this.
He had a great passion for collecting art
Art and furniture were two of Freddie's passions. He was especially interested in Japanese art and had what was considered by experts to be one of the best private collections of old woodblock prints.
He also collected prints by Salvador Dalí, as well as works by the Spanish painter Joan Miró and Victorian oil portraits. As for furniture it turns out that he was mainly interested in original Biedermeier pieces from Central Europe.
The centerpiece of his enormous living room was a black Steinway grand piano, on which he composed many of Queen's hits, including Bohemian Rhapsody.
Freddie Mercury had a great (and deep) interest in Japanese art. Source: Pinterest
He was a great painter
When he was 17, his family fled the 1964 revolution in Zanzibar that left many Arabs and Indians dead, so they decided to move to Feltham, near London.
Already a British citizen, Freddie went to Isleworth Polytechnic and then Ealing Art College and it turns out that while he was there, he and his friend Roger Taylor, who later became Queen's drummer, used to sell the art Freddie created at a stall in Kensington Market along with second hand clothes.
He did several paintings and drawings of Jimi Hendrix, who was a great inspiration to him.
Freddie Mercury idolized Jimi Hendrix, so he even drew pictures of him. Source: Weirdland TV
He loved listening to opera
Freddie was an optimistic person, but when he was feeling down, usually due to a relationship that had let him down, he would sit alone and put on records by Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti.
Although he was a world-famous rock star, he was always interested in opera, ballet, and the arts.
danced ballet
Freddie Mercury was a ballet regular, so when he was invited to dance with the Royal Ballet for a benefit show in 1979, he simply couldn't resist.
Choreographers Wayne Eagling and Derek Deane helped him rehearse new choreography created specifically for his songs Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Bohemian Rhapsody for several weeks.
It is worth noting that it took Freddie a lot more work than he imagined to dance ballet because it looked like he had two left feet.
But he eventually managed to perfect the steps and ended up being thrown into the air and held upside down by the Royal Ballet's male conductors to a standing ovation.
