Freddie Mercury: The great enigma

The magnetic Queen singer is still attracting fans, 21 years after his death — yet he was remarkably hard to fathom. Can a BBC documentary and a Hollywood film cast any new light on the man behind the legend?

IN NOVEMBER 1991, days before he died, Freddie Mercury met his manager to discuss how best to reveal to the world that he had Aids.

Once they had agreed the wording of an announcement, the 45-year-old began to wonder how he’d be remembered. “You can do what you want with my music,” he said, “but don’t make me boring.”