It’s been 50 years since Queen released their self-titled debut album and over three decades since Freddie Mercury lost his battle with AIDS.
Sir Brian May admits he still “misses the butterflies” watching the incredible singer perform on stage in front of him.
The guitarist said in a new interview with The Mirror: “Freddie was a fantastic mate and a great brother.
“I liked it when he broke the rules, what he said to the audience and the risk he took.
“I am sure if he was here today we would still be doing it and the mothership would still be steaming around the world, because he lived for music and lived for the band – it was his family.”
Sir Brian continued: “He was very shy but also very social. He lived to the max every second of the day.
“He is so enduring because he was an eccentric genius. He was not a people pleaser. Some may have found him rude but he achieved what he wanted and knew what he was doing.”
The 75-year-old also confessed that Freddie, who originally was engaged to his girlfriend Mary Austin before coming out as gay, really wrestled with his sexuality during Queen’s heydays.
Sir Brian shared: “I think there was a period where he felt we might disapprove of his sexuality, and the rest of the world might disapprove.
“I know he struggled with it, but he plucked up the courage to be what he wanted to be. He opened up his heart and he gave it everything he had. He was proud of himself as a musician above all else.
“If you look back at the history of rock ‘n’ roll, is Little Richard a man trying to hide the fact he’s gay? No. He screamed his passion. Freddie belongs to that genre.”
