He was the Queen’s King and his crown can be yours – for the right price.
The extensive collection of costumes, artwork and even handwritten lyrics by Freddie Mercury’s “We Are the Champions” and “Killer Queen” will be sold at auction in September.
The Queen’s chef said he wanted to live a Victorian life surrounded by “wonderful chaos” and left everything to his best friend Mary Austen when he died at the age of 45 of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991.
Austin, who has kept most of them the way Mercury left them at his home in upscale London Kensington, said she made the “difficult decision” that it was time to sell everything, Sotheby’s said.
Artworks include prints or works on paper by Picasso and Matisse. Kind of Beauty, a painting by the 19th-century French artist James Tissot of his Irish muse and lover Kathleen Newton, is estimated at £400,000 to £600,000 ($500,000 to $750,000)—the highest value of all articles included in the press materials.
The lyrics to the band’s closing anthem “We Are the Champions” written by Mercury over nine pages, including British Midland Airways stationery, are estimated at between £200,000 and £300,000 ($250,000 to $375,000).
Mercury wore a rhinestone tiara and covered her bare back with a red fur hood after singing “Heroes” at Knebworth House in north London during the Queen’s last concert together in 1986. She triumphantly walked across the stage and raised the tiara with her right hand as the crowd began chanting with “God Save Queen” on the PA system.
The crown is believed to be based on Saint Edward, who will appear at the coronation of King Charles III next month. In contrast to the original centerpiece of the British Crown Jewels, the headdress worn by Mercury is estimated at £60,000-80,000 ($75,000-100,000).
A Mercury fan on a budget might consider this silver mustache comb from Tiffany & Co. , should set you back £400-600 ($500-750).
About 1,500 items will be on sale in New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong during a tour in June.
It will be auctioned over three days in September. A portion of the profits will be donated to charity.
—Brian Milley, The Associated Press
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