Zanzibar's Freddie Mercury Museum showcases life of legendary Queen frontman

The Freddie Mercury Museum in Zanzibar showcases the life and times of the music icon in the very house where he was born Farrokh Bulsara, 80 years ago, and where he spent his childhood.

Visitors and fans can see items like his flamboyant outfits, to his first piano, and handwritten lyrics, among other things.

It tells his story from the beginning: his roots in Zanzibar’s Stone Town, his Zoroastrian heritage, his schooling in Panchgani, India, and the journey that took him from these streets to the stages of the world’s greatest arenas.

In 1970 while living in London, Mercuru co-foundedQueen with Brian May and Roger Taylor. In 1973, Queen released their debut self-titled album, marking their arrival on the international music scene.

Two years later, Bohemian Rhapsody, a six-minute operatic rock masterpiece was released, becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time.

On July 13, 1986, Freddie delivered what is widely regarded as the greatest live performance in rock history at Live Aid, Wembley Stadium, performing to a global television audience.

The museum did not open until 2019.

''I have been here like 23 years ago and I knew he was born in Stone Town but there was not this museum that opened on 2019 and it is an excellent opportunity to know a bit more about his childhood, you know, and the way he started with music and art because he was a real artist from the beginning," said Mar Perez Pena, a visitor from Spain.

On November 24, 1991, just one day after publicly announcing his HIV diagnosis, Freddie passed away at his home in Kensington, London, at the age of 45. His music, voice, and legacy stayed alive.

Fans party on Freddie's 80th birthday

Thousands of Queen fans sang, cheered and partied at the Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux on Saturday to celebrate what would have been the legendary British singer's 80th birthday.

Wearing outlandish outfits reflecting Mercury's stage costumes, fans gathered in honour of the frontman in the Swiss town where he sought peace in his final years and recorded his last vocals.

"It is a special birthday, so you've got to make the effort to come and celebrate all things Freddie," said Sonia, who travelled from Canberra.

Fans hailed from Australia to Japan to even the housing estate in Feltham, near London's Heathrow Airport, where Mercury's Parsi family moved to after fleeing the Zanzibar revolution in 1964.

The bronze statue of Mercury in a triumphant pose, erected in 1996 overlooking Lake Geneva, was decked with balloons, flowers and tributes left by well-wishers.

Appreciation of Queen's legacy and Mercury's unique talent has only grown since his death in 1991 from bronchial pneumonia, brought on by AIDS.

Among the world's best-selling artists ever, most of the group's sales have come since the singer's passing at the age of 45.

New generation of fans

Queen owned Mountain Studios, built into the Montreux Casino, and recorded six albums there.

Now a Queen exhibition space, visitors can try out the mixing desk.

James Perkin pushed up the faders on "A Winter's Tale" -- the last song Mercury wrote, and a dying man's ode to the picturesque tranquillity of Montreux.

"Such a beautiful, life-affirming song at that point in his life," said Perkin, the guitarist in Don't Stop Queen Now, the tribute band closing the festivities on Sunday.

The Freddie Days birthday event has been running since 2003 and has grown over time.

The free, five-day event's volunteer organiser Lucien Muller told AFP that 14,000 to 16,000 people were expected to attend.

"There's people who come every year. I won't say a community; I would say a family. We are all here to celebrate, to party, to have fun," he said.

"We try to honour Freddie Mercury's legacy in a town that was very important for him."

The Oscar-winning 2018 biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" brought Mercury to a new generation of fans.

One 13-year-old girl, wearing the singer's iconic 1986 Magic Tour yellow jacket, was busily sketching a portrait of Mercury by the statue.

Julie Criddle, from Wiltshire in southwest England, was at the video shoot for "We Are The Champions" in 1977 and has been coming to the Freddie Days for 11 years.

"There's so many people here that aren't old enough to have seen Queen live, which is fantastic because it's keeping Freddie's name alive," she said.

'He'd have loved it'

Fans were dressed in a myriad of Mercury outfits, including his "Invisible Man" sunglasses, "Flash Gordon" t-shirts, 1982 "Arrows" jackets and his 39th birthday "Living on my Own" black and white leggings.

Peter Straker, Mercury's friend and fellow singer, told AFP: "He's dead, but the spirit lives on, and the joy and celebration of a human life -- it's fantastic."

The event also saw concerts and talks, including one on Mercury's trailblazing 1988 "Barcelona" duet album recorded with the Spanish opera diva Montserrat Caballe.

"He would have been amazed that people still come from all over the world in such large numbers to celebrate -- he'd have loved it; he loved being idolised! -- though he'd have hated being 80!" composer Mike Moran, who co-wrote the album with Mercury, told AFP.

The day culminated with Mercury's sister Kashmira Bulsara cutting the 80th birthday cake.

Fans sang "Happy Birthday" and the party continued into the night.