In a move that has cemented the legendary singer’s place as a national treasure, Freddie Mercury has had a blue plaque dedicated to him at his childhood home.
The English Heritage plaque was unveiled at Freddie’s former home in Feltham, west London, to mark what would’ve been the Queen frontman’s 70th birthday on September 5th, reports The Guardian.
Freddie’s parents Jer and Bomi Bulsara bought the house in 1964, but it was the singer’s sister Kashmira Cooke, and his former bandmate Brian May who revealed the plaque.
It reads:
Freddie Mercury (Fred Bulsara) 1946-1991 Singer and Songwriter lived here.
Kashmira said that both she and her mother were incredibly proud and pleased that Freddie’s achievements had been recognised in this way.
She said:
He will be amongst other famous names for ever – I think secretly he would have been very proud and pleased too.
However Brian May for him the moment was ‘tinged with sadness’:
The last thing we would have thought is that I would be here at this point, commemorating him with a blue plaque.
It’s a happy occasion with a tinge of sadness because he should be here.
As boys we conquered the world in a way that was beyond our wildest dreams, which is why we are here today.
May said that Freddie was hard to sum up as a person, that as a youngster he was shy and embarrassed that he still lived with his mum, but that he knew he was ‘something special’.
He said:
He had an extraordinary capacity to energise people and make them feel excited. We knew he was something very special, he made people feel like they could do it too.
A fitting tribute to a true legend.
