Today marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Queen frontman and all-around rock legend Freddie Mercury. It seems crazy that it has already been 25 years, especially since so many Queen songs are still so timeless and beloved today.

What made Freddie Mercury so special? Two things always get mentioned: his incredible voice and his larger than life personality. Let’s look at both.

Freddie Mercury’s Voice

Freddie Mercury is known as one of the greatest lead singers of all-time. His voice had range, power and delicacy and instantly made the epic music of Queen even more epic. But why was his voice so great? First, you should listen to this acapella version of “Somebody To Love”.

Amazing, right? Now that you have goosebumps, a team of researchers in Europe recently set out to figure out why Freddie’s voice was so great… using science! And what did they find out? That Freddie had a distinct style of vibrato that was a frequency higher than the standard classically-trained singer, which helped give Freddie his distinct vocal fingerprint.

And if you need another example of the power of his voice, check out this acapella of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and prepare to have your mind blown.

 

Freddie Mercury’s Style & Showmanship

Freddie was larger than life… and not just with his booming voice. He was a style icon, known for some of the most outlandish stage attire of the time. From his penchant for white outfits, bedazzled unitards and a solid moustache, Freddie is the owner of many iconic “looks”.

We compiled a bunch of our favourite Freddie fashion photos in the handy gallery below. Which Freddie look was your favourite?

And even though Halloween just passed, you can always dress up as the rock and style icon NEXT year, thanks to the official Freddie Mercury costume on Queen’s official website.

 

Filed under: 25-years-ago, freddie-mercury, greatest-voice, Music, queen, RIP, style-king