Mary Austin is called both the wife of Freddie Mercury, and his ex-fiancee, and girlfriend, but she prefers to be called the woman of his life. For many years, the heiress of a multi-million dollar fortune keeps only known facts about the life of a musician, about his death and burial place.

Biography

Mary Austin’s date of birth is March 6, 1951. Nothing is known about her childhood other than that she was born in London and her parents were deaf and dumb. Some sources mention that Mary’s mother was a typist and her father a carpenter. Austen’s origins are also betrayed by her speech, in which “cockney” is clearly heard, which is spoken by people from the working families of the London outskirts.

Brian May was the first to draw attention to the fragile short saleswoman of the Biba boutique, which was popular with the progressive part of London’s youth. Unlike fashion designers who favor bold, flashy colors designed to brighten up the ever-rainy London, shop owner Barbara Hulaniki offered clothing in predominantly gray and black, as well as blueberry and burgundy.

In 1969, shortly before Biba moved into a huge seven-story building that had previously served as a warehouse, May came to the store with Freddie and introduced the young people. The lively impulsive musician won the girl’s heart, and soon Freddie and Mary rented a room in Kensington. Many years later, Austin will tell that they barely had enough money for food, and the kitchen and bathroom had to be shared with neighbors, but, despite everything, it was the happiest period in her life, which was not destined to last long.

Mary Austin and Freddie

According to the memoirs, Austin, a bright and handsome young musician, unshakably believed in his success and literally infected her and the members of the group with this faith. In 1973, Freddie gave her an inexpensive jade silver ring. The gift was made on the eve of Christmas, and Mary did not even think that this could be an offer. However, it was indeed a proposal. The girl began to prepare for the wedding and even looked after the dress, but it did not come to the wedding. The following year, the single “Seven Seas of Rhye” reached the top of the UK charts, and began the great triumphal procession of Queen’s music around the world.

As the group grew in popularity, Freddie was less likely to visit their expensive new apartment, and Mary, she says, felt left out. The conversation, which later became almost the key plot of the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic, which took place between young people, put everything in its place. Freddie confessed to the girl that he was attracted to men and in 1977 she moved out of their apartment, but soon he bought her a house nearby and the relationship continued, albeit in a slightly different status. Since 1978, Mary was officially considered a friend of the singer and received a salary from the Mercury Company, acting as a secretary.

Personal life

n 1975, Freddie wrote “Love of my Life” dedicated to Mary. In the early 80s, she began dating a young artist and designer, Piers Cameron, who did not approve of the close communication between Mary and Freddie, whose joint photographs continued to appear in notes dedicated to the famous artist.

The first son of Mary and Cameron Richard was born in 1989, Freddie was the godfather. While pregnant with her second child, Mary cared for an artist dying of AIDS. In addition to her, Jim Hutton, his lover, who served as a hairdresser and gardener, as well as Mercury’s cook, and his former lover Joe Vanelli, were in the musician’s house around the clock.

The second son of a woman, whose father she also calls Cameron, was born in 1991, after the death of a rock star. Mary did not officially marry the father of her two children.

Having received more than half of the inheritance of the great Mercury, she became a recluse. Austin raised her two sons in the Victorian mansion Garden Lodge, inherited from the artist.

In 1998, it became known about Mary’s marriage to an entrepreneur named Nicholas Holford, but they divorced in 2002. Mary does not provide any other information about herself.

Mary Austin and other men

Some biographers of Mercury are extremely skeptical about many of Mary’s statements, because there are no facts confirming that there was any relationship between them. For almost eight years of their life, young people did not get married, Mary did not conceive and did not give birth to a child, and the fact that they were generally close is known only from the words of Austin herself.

About Mary, the singer always spoke with sincere respect and sympathy. But immediately after his death, in her interviews, Austin will talk about his many lovers, about the connections with which she allegedly knew all the details. In fact, after the death of the star, Mary was the first to openly call Freddie gay.

Confirming the words of the woman, Jim Hutton, who called himself Freddie’s last lover, wrote the book “Mercury and Me” in 1993, which is more like an erotic novel designed for an uneducated and not very healthy reader.

Historian and music critic Mariam Akhundova published a book in which she refutes some of the facts disseminated by Austin and Hutton. Her research resonated with many fans, as well as the musicians of the legendary band themselves. An interesting fact is that both May and Taylor openly dislike Austin and accuse her of lying and self-interest. Mary’s statement that Freddie was infected with HIV in 1987 is questioned not only by Akhundova, but also by modern researchers who insist that with such a rapid course of the disease, the artist could not work so much, record new songs and give concerts as it continued until 1989.

Historians are especially interested in the mysterious disappearance of Freddie’s hospital card, the urgent cremation of the remains, and the secret burial place of the ashes. In 1992, the artist’s personal doctor Gordon Atkinson made a statement that he did not know that Mercury had HIV infection, and he associated the worsening of the artist’s general condition only with excessive stress and nervous exhaustion.

Also, many historians express doubt about the homosexual orientation of the musician, because no one except Mary, Hutton and Vanelli dared to say that Freddie was gay. The journalists tried to find the rest of Mercury’s lovers, but they never found anyone.

According to Austin, Freddie wanted to hide both his homosexuality and the disease, which he considered dirty, so he was not treated in Britain. Fulfilling his will, she and Hutton revealed the information that Mercury was a homosexual and contracted AIDS only after his death.

Mary Austin now

The film “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which was completed in 2018, quite expectedly became an event of the film season. Only in 2019, the creators of the picture paid Austin $ 51 million, since according to the will of the rock icon, it is she who owns 50% of the profits from the works associated with his name. The role of the artist was played by Rami Malek, who received the Golden Globe in January, and the role of Mary was played by Lucy Boyton.

The mystery of the life and death of Mercury, who was called the great hoaxer during his lifetime, is of interest to many Queen fans. With all the distrust of researchers of the artist’s work to Mary Austin, she remains the only close person of Mercury, his heiress and keeper of the secrets of life, death and burial.

Mary lives in a 28-room Garden Lodge mansion surrounded by a blank wall on which fans leave drawings and inscriptions. In an interview, the woman says that she continues to love Freddie, but it is difficult for her to cope with the state that he left her and the constant pressure from the band members and fans who want the musician’s house to be a museum.

Title image source: Instagram.Mary Austin: biography of Freddie Mercury’s girlfriend, personal life, photo now