To ask what is so captivating about Freddie Mercury?

[shalalalalalala]

I just can't get enough of him and it genuinely makes my heart so sad to think about what he went through, and how he did it so graciously.

I was only mid teens when he died and the older I've got the more I feel this sense of being in complete awe of him.

I think a lot of today's music is just pure shite!

Anyone else?

The massive talent he had, I guess.

Queen weren't my favorite band but I do think FM was probably the best showman of all time.

I totally get it. Captivating is the perfect word! My ten year old daughter chose to do a project about him in year two- I’ve never been so proud!

He was a beautiful soul. Whenever I hear Don't Stop me Now I think "yes...he IS burning through the sky...he's not dead...he's immortal!" and I feel happy. He had the ability to tap into something much larger than humanity.

Such a beautiful man. His huge talent shone out of him like a beacon. Always missed and loved.

Aww yeah he just was so amazing... spellbinding

Ditto to above. A musical one off.

I must be about the same age as you...I was 15 when he died. Queen were the first band I ever obsessed over as a child. I think they've made some great music (and also some utter dross), and Freddie was a one-off. I think he had a lot of charisma, which made him very interesting and also quite mesmerising. I love 'Don't Stop Me Now', but if you listen to the lyrics and think about them in the context of what was happening at the time in the gay bars of NYC, and what was to happen to Freddie and countless others in the future, I think it's really sad. In the video for that song, Freddie wears a Mineshaft t-shirt: Mineshaft was a legendary gay club in New York that was later closed down for public health reasons at the height of the AIDS crisis. If only they had known what was to happen. I often wonder what Freddie would be doing now had he survived...

He was incredibly talented both as a performer and musician. I think what really sets him apart though is he somehow managed to portray a massive ego, be ridiculously extrovert and yet incredibly humble at the same time. I think the humility was the real Freddie and the extrovert was just a part he played as a great showman.

His voice, his poise, his stage presence.

I think mostly his voice though. Just listening to Queen gives me shivers.

His charmisa and personality. He was a sex symbol and what a voice!

You're right, he was and still is captivating. Amazing singer, musician, performer. I really want to believe that he was a wonderful person too.
I have seen many interviews over the years and have watched some of them again more recently... is there a general air of arrogance? Did he throw in subtle, snide remarks about other members of the band ?

Despite this, I still think he was brilliant. What do others think?

I just love him! His voice, charisma, stage presence.
I wasn't a fan until a couple of years ago which makes it all the stranger.
His voice just soars and hits notes so beautifully.

He was one of my first crushes. Charisma by the bucketload.

I miss Freddie. There has been literally no one else like him: the voice, the showmanship, the charisma.

Really, who has been remotely similar?

I think that stars who die relatively young are preserved in that image of them at their height eg Jimi Hendrix, James Dean
He’s not going to make an embarrassing advert or announce he loves Nigel Farage thus stamping all over your memories.

He was amazing and it is hard to think of a front man who comes close. I’m a similar age to you and Queen are one of those bands I just wish I could have seen at their peak.

@WhiteDust

I never had the impression that his remarks were snide... I perceive them as being droll. I think he had a very dry sense of humour. And the other members all adored him - they still do.

I didn’t like Queen I’m afraid (takes cover) however, I can see that FM had enormous talent. Terribly sad that he passed too soon.

He knew how to entertain a audience without all these pyrotechnics, dancers, wacky stages, choreography, auto tuning, etc, that today's music stars rely on. Modern music is so phoney in comparison.

Some. People have incredible talent. Some are just natural entertainers. He was both and that's quite rare.

My DF was at one of their very first concerts when they were the opening act for Mott the Hoople (!) - he was absolutely captivated from that point on. Saw them many times over the years, Live Aid etc. I remember when Freddie died as it was the first and only time I saw my dad cry. There was simply no one like him at the time, and there hasn’t been since he died. He was absolutely unique. Incredible talent and incredible charisma.

They just don’t come along very often.

He was just so beautiful. He looked exotic and exquisite, like a peacock made of emeralds and sapphires, he sang like a fallen angel and when he was on stage his entire being seemed to be charged up with an electrical force, his utter joy in performing was infectious, especially as so many other musicians acted as if being on stage was a chore. I mean, Live Aid ...! He seems to have been such a beautiful soul too, the way he was with his loved ones, his adoration of his cats. And there is a story about him and Princess Diana that I'm not sure is true but is heart melting anyway!
I'm not a Queen fan, they had some great tunes but also a lot of utter crud but Freddie just makes me

@TellySavalashairbrush hahah you better take a run lol!

I get what others say about the air of arrogance, but I think that was all part of his public persona. When you read testimonies from the other band members and those closest to him, it really paints a picture of an incredible humble and kind man who just wanted to be loved. He had so much love in him.
The whole aids crisis was new territory, no one really knew what they were dealing with until it was too late of course.

John deacon doesn't talk much these days but Roger and Brian have talked candidly about the heartbreak his death brought to them. Brian said it sent him into a deep depression. They were so protective of him and have worked really well together to preserve his legacy.

If he were alive now, he would be into his 70's. I'd love to know what he'd be doing... strutting around the stage like a boss with his famous duck face pout. I still maintain thirst is theeeee only acceptable duck face!!

I was 13 when Bohemian Rhapsody was released and topped the charts for weeks, with its video (huge innovation for the time) shown on Top of the Pops week after week. I'd never seen or heard anything like it. Always had a very soft spot for Queen after that. At Live Aid they knocked spots off everyone else. I sometimes watch it on YouTube now and it never fails to lift my spirits. His voice! His rapport with the crowd! Marvellous.

He was very unlucky. Nowadays fortunately HIV doesn't seem to be the death sentence it was in the early 80s. I wish he'd been one of those who got lucky back then and didn't get the virus, or did but survived until treatments improved, as then he'd still be making music now.

I hope very much he'd not have ended up endorsing Farage! Brian Ferry hasn't covered himself in glory with his political remarks in recent years.

Amazing showman, beautiful, intelligent person. Oozed charisma and sex appeal.

The acapella vocal-only versions of Queen songs are amazing too.

I'm sure other artists are great too, but FM is the one that does the rounds most frequently

Eg