Don't Stop Them Now: Fans Party for Freddie Mercury's 80th Birthday
- On Saturday, thousands of fans gathered at the Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux, Switzerland, to celebrate what would have been the legendary Queen frontman's 80th birthday.
- Volunteer organizer Lucien Muller reported that 14,000 to 16,000 people were expected to attend the free, five-day Freddie Days event, which has grown since launching in 2003.
- Wearing outfits reflecting Mercury's iconic stage costumes, fans celebrated as his sister, Kashmira Bulsara, cut the birthday cake. Attendees said, "We try to honor Freddie Mercury's legacy in a town that was very important for him."
- Composer Mike Moran, who co-wrote Mercury's 1988 'Barcelona' album, told AFP the singer "would have been amazed that people still come from all over the world" to celebrate.
- Appreciation for Queen's legacy has grown since Mercury's 1991 passing, with Julie Criddle noting that younger fans who never saw the band live are keeping the singer's name alive.
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IN PICTURES: Don't stop them now: fans party for Freddie Mercury's 80th birthday in Switzerland
Thousands of Queen fans sang, cheered and partied at the Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux, Switzerland, on Saturday to celebrate what would have been the legendary British singer's 80th birthday.
In Montreux on Saturday, the 80th anniversary of Queen's singer, thousands of faithful paid tribute to him, also in the presence of his sister
Don't stop them now: Fans party for Freddie Mercury's 80th birthday
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.
On living ‘long enough’
After the very aptly named Freddie Mercury passed away from AIDS in 1999, his band hosted a memorial concert featuring the likes of Annie Lennox from the Eurythmics, David Bowie, George Michael and Elton John, among many others including, mysteriously, Liza Minelli, who closed the show with “We Are the Champions.”
They were loved by fans and hated by critics. They sold over 300 million records and dominated crowds. On the day of Freddie Mercury's 80th birthday, we recovered the long story of the Queens who made the cover of BLITZ in February 2008, and we went through the extremes of a ‘travel' involving great music, but also drama, excesses, love and a good dose of madness.
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