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Freddie Mercury was worth $50 million when he died at 45. His will is the most revealing document in rock history.
Mary Austin got 50% of everything. His ex-fiancée. He proposed to her in 1973. Told her he was gay in 1976. She said, "I think you're gay." They broke up. They never stopped being the most important person in each other's lives.
She got Garden Lodge, a Kensington mansion now valued at $38 million. She got 50% of all future Queen royalties. After Freddie's parents died, her share rose to 75%.
Jim Hutton, Freddie's boyfriend of seven years who held his hand as he died, received £500,000. A fixed sum. His chef got £500,000. His personal assistant got £500,000. His driver got £100,000.
The royalty math is where this gets wild. Queen generates roughly $50 million per year. The Bohemian Rhapsody biopic grossed $910 million and tripled their streaming catalog overnight. The catalog sold for $1.27 billion in 2024. Mary Austin's 75% cut of the royalty stream has been compounding for 35 years.
She auctioned 1,400 of his belongings at Sotheby's in 2023. Expected haul: £6 million. Actual haul: £40 million. The piano he composed Bohemian Rhapsody on sold for £1.7 million alone. His sister Kashmira spent an estimated £3 million at that auction buying back family items.
Before he died, Freddie told people that all his lovers had asked why they couldn't replace Mary. His answer was that she was irreplaceable, the only real friend he had, and nobody else came close.
The men in that photo got the nights. Mary Austin got the estate, the royalties, the mansion, and the century.
Jedi@dhe3g
Freddie Mercury having a sleepover with some close friends, 1980s.
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