Was Freddie Mercury married and did he have children?
FREDDIE Mercury's legacy long lives on after his untimely death aged just 45.
During his life, his lovelife was a hot topic of conversation - but was he ever married with kids?
Was Freddie Mercury married?
Freddie Mercury was never married, although he came close.
However, one relationship was like “a marriage” to him, so he said.
Mary Austin was the main love in Freddie’s life and the closest he ever got to marrying.
The pair dated for six years until 1976 and she remained his closest friend for the following 15 years until his death in 1991.
They met in the early 1970s and began dating, during which time Mary lived in West Kensington with Freddie.
He dedicated the song Love Of My Life to her and proposed in 1973, around the time Queen released their debut album.
But just a few years into their relationship, Freddie started an affair with a man.
In December 1976, he told Mary of his sexuality, after her suspicions grew.
Most read in Celebrity
When he confessed that he was “bisexual” in 1976, she replied, ‘No Freddie, I don’t think you are bisexual. I think you are gay’.”
After that, Mary moved into a nearby flat and the couple remained incredibly close with her working for his management company.
In an interview in 1985, he said of Mary: “All my lovers asked me why they couldn’t replace Mary, but it’s simply impossible.
“The only friend I’ve got is Mary, and I don’t want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife.
“To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that’s enough for me.”
After his death, it was revealed Freddie had left Mary half of his £75million estate, including the cherished £25million Georgian mansion in Kensington.
In 2023, in a move that has surprised Queen fans across the world, Mary announced she was auctioning 1,500 of the star's belongings including costumes, instruments and the singer's hand-written song lyrics.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC Mary explained her decision.
"The time has come for me to take the difficult decision to close this very special chapter in my life," she said .
"I need to put my affairs in order," she explained, adding, "I decided that 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."
Did Freddie Mercury have children?
Freddie is not believed to have fathered any children, but he was godfather to two children.
He was godfather to best pal Mary's eldest child, Austin.
Freddie also had another as well as to the son of frequent collaborator and record producer Reinhold Mack.
Who was Freddie's partner when he died?
Freddie was in a relationship with Jim Hutton right until his death.
Jim was working as a hairdresser when he first met Freddie at a London gay club called Heaven in 1985, he once told The Times.
The pair bumped into each other again 18 months later in a different club, and this time started a relationship.
Although they were never married (as gay marriage was illegal at the time), they were essentially a married couple.
They both wore a wedding ring to show how committed they were to each another.
When Freddie was diagnosed with Aids in 1987, he reportedly told Jim he understood if he no longer wanted to be together.
Read More on The US Sun
Jim stayed with the singer and helped care for him until his death in 1991.
After Freddie's death, Jim went on to live many more years before losing his battle with cancer in 2010.