Freddie Mercury's Estate to Auction Off His Personal Belongings

Fans of the late Queen singer Freddie Mercury will soon be able to place their bids for some of his most prized personal possessions.

This week, Sotheby's announced the upcoming auction, "Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own," which is described to be a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the private realm of a global icon," by the London auction house.

Mercury—who died ate age 45 in 1991, following complications caused by a battle with AIDS—curated an intimate collection of hundreds of treasured items throughout his life, including original song drafts, costumes, and even handwritten notes.

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"Freddie Mercury's sensational life has left us with a rich array of artistic moments that still move and astound us, a legacy that, like his music, will live on forever," Sotheby's Europe Chairman Oliver Barker said in a statement, per Insider.

The decision to auction off Mercury's collection was made by his longtime friend and ex-wife Mary Austin, to whom he left his house and all of its contents when he died.

"I need to put my affairs in order," Austin told the BBC this week regarding her decision to put Mercury's belongings up for sale. "The time has come for me to take the very difficult decision to close this very special chapter in my life."

While she is admittedly taking a few items for herself, Austin ultimately decided "it wouldn't be appropriate for me to keep things back. If I was going to sell, I had to be brave and sell the lot."

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As far as the over 1,500 items that will go to auction, Austin promises that the collection is a true reflection of her friend and "takes you deeper within the individual and the man I knew."

Among the sale items will also be the handwritten working lyrics to the Queen smash hit, "We Are The Champions," of which Austin said the original lyrics show "the most beautiful side" of the late entertainer.

"You're looking at the process of the artist, of work in progress," she said. "The crossings out, the rethinking, the reformatting."

The entire collection is projected to sell for at least $7.4 million, as estimated by the Wall Street Journal.

The collection will first tour in public exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong in June, before being displayed at Sotheby's London through August.

Live auctions are expected to begin on September 6, 2023.