Although Freddie Mercury was openly gay, he had a single woman in his life whom he proudly referred to as his “soulmate” and who was the most important person in his life.
In the Oscar-winning movie Bohemian Rhapsody, Mary Austin and the singer’s unique and long-lasting love was depicted on screen. Freddie Mercury declared that he would love her “Until I draw my last breath.” Most likely, we’ll age together.”
Fans all throughout the world are still captivated by the pair’s strong affinity even after close friends and Mary Austin herself have come out about their exceptional relationship over the years. It was supposedly so significant that it served as the basis for Queen’s famous song, “Love of My Life.”
In 1969 Freddie Mercury was just 24 years old when he first met Mary. This was five years after he had moved to England and a year before he had joined the band, Queen.
Mary Austin, who was born into a working-class household in Fulham, west London, where her mother worked as a maid and her father as a wallpaper cutter, joined the rich and famous fashion shop Biba in Kensington in 1969 at the age of 19.
Following his graduation from Ealing Art College, Freddie Mercury went to the fashionable store where he met Mary. The two fell in love right away.
The young couple soon moved into a modest apartment close to Kensington Market, where Freddie operated a clothing stand alongside Queen drummer Roger Taylor. Mary was the couple’s primary provider for a considerable amount of time while Freddie battled to launch his singing career.
Freddie’s closest pals talked frankly about the early stages of Mary and Freddie’s romance in the 2020 Channel 5 documentary Freddie Mercury: A Christmas Story.
Peter Freestone, the PA for Mercury for 13 years, stated: “She (Mary) was incredibly important. Don’t forget, she looked after him for the first years when he wasn’t making a penny and Mary was working.”
“So she paid the rent, she paid for everything when they were living together from 1969.”
In the documentary, Yasmine Pettigrew, a different friend, said that Freddie and Mary were a couple from the start. She said, “They were very much a pair, He watched over her as well. He always wanted to know, if he was with Mary, that Mary was okay.”
“She stuck by him and he stuck by her. You put your life in your hands if you tried to come between them, that’s for sure. Everyone knew that. They had a bond which people who are together forever have.”
After four years of dating, the recently-famous singer proposed to Mary.
After the engagement, Mary stated: “I was speechless. I remember thinking, ‘I don’t understand what’s going on’. It wasn’t what I’d expected at all.”
After they were engaged, Freddie began having affairs behind Mary’s back because he could not control his growing desire to guys. Freddie didn’t come clean to his fiancé about his thoughts about being bisexual until 1976. Mary subsequently stated: “I’ll never forget that moment. I remember saying to him, ‘No Freddie, I don’t think you are bisexual. I think you are gay’.”
The couple’s breakup was a result of that devastating realization. Mary took a flat nearby, and Freddie began throwing crazy parties with pals he’d made in the LGBT scene in London. Mary did, however, continue to stay close to the celebrity and even started working for his management business.
Over time, Queen rose to prominence as one of the most well-known bands worldwide, and Mary remained a constant in Freddie Mercury’s life even when he fell in love with partner Jim Hutton.
Mary stayed by the star’s side constantly, from touring with the band in Hungary to being there for Freddie when he died of AIDS in 1991. Even after Freddie’s passing, Mary remained one of the few individuals he trusted with his business dealings.
Freddie gave Mary his home and an astounding half of his future earnings to Queen in his testament.
Another constant in Freddie’s life, Peter Freestone, remembers the tight relationship the two had and the key to their enduring love.
In a special interview with Express Online, Peter stated, “Freddie romanticised his love for Mary to a greater degree. But Freddie taught me love is a quality not a quantity. You don’t use all your love once and then it’s gone. Freddie did love Mary but then he also loved Jim. He loved his friends. Mary was there when he made the transition to being gay and she stood by him. Freddie felt huge guilt more than anything for what he put her through in 1975 when he broke their engagement and told her the truth about himself.”
“However, Freddie kept Mary close all his life, entrusted her with his finances and even asked her to hide his ashes after he died.”
“I do think it is significant that, in the end, he gave Mary the house and half of all his future earnings from Queen. That is what he truly felt for her.”
In an interview with OK! Magazine nine years after Freddie’s passing, Mary described the months following Mercury’s death as “the loneliest and most difficult time of my life.”
She said, “I lost somebody who I thought was my eternal love.”
“When he died I felt we’d had a marriage. We’d lived our vows. We’d done it for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health. You could never have let go of Freddie unless he died – and even then it was difficult. Mary also gave an insight into Freddie’s final days and how he “chose the time to die.”
Mary recalled those “distressing” last few days. “The quality of his life had changed so dramatically and he was in more pain every day. He was losing his sight. His body became weaker as he suffered mild fits. One day he decided enough was enough and stopped all the medical supplements that were keeping him going.”
On November 24, 1991, Freddie passed away “with a smile on his face,” according to Mary, and Dave Clark of the Dave Clark Five was by his side.
It was an enduring relationship. Mary received Garden Lodge, Freddie’s cherished Kensington residence, from him, and he asked her to keep the location of his ashes a secret from the public.
Freddie once said of Mary: “There have only been two individuals who have given back as much love to me as I gave to them: Mary, with whom I had a long affair, and our cat, Jerry. My bond with Mary seems to grow and grow… I’ll love her until I draw my last breath.”