This weekend is the anniversary of Freddie Mercury’s death. The Queen legend died on Sunday, November 24, 1991 and the terrible news was revealed to the world the following Monday morning. The star was confined to his bed for his final days, after refusing to take any more medication apart from painkillers. Surrounded by his dearest friends, he asked for one last wish.
Peter Freestone was Freddie’s PA for the last 12 years of his life.
He lived with the Queen frontman at One Garden Lodge and was there in his final days when the close “inner circle” all took turns to stay at Freddie’s bedside on 12-hour shifts so he was never alone.
In an exclusive interview with Express Online, he shares his precious memories as Freddie prepared to say goodbye. Peter recalls Freddie asked to be brought downstairs in his West Kensington mansion one final time.
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Peter said: “Freddie was downstairs in Garden Lodge on the 20th November, as he wanted to see some of his artworks for one last time..
“Terry carried him down the stairs, but he walked around the sitting room and Japanese room, with one of us supporting him.
“He commented on how and when he had acquired a few of the pieces [in his home]. Of course there was a quiet atmosphere in the house during those last days, but Freddie remained the Freddie we knew until the end.”
Terry Giddings was Freddie’s bodyguard and chaffeur.
Freddie’s pride and joy in his beautiful collection of art and antiques was notorious.
The entire house was adorned with paintings, sculptures and fine furniture – and has never been changed after Mary Austin inherited the lavish property.
Freddie was addicted to auctions and Elton John remembers visiting Freddie in the final weeks and finding him still buying more art.
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Elton recently revealed; “Freddie loved collecting Japanese art and collecting it at auction. So while he was dying he was still buying things at auction.
“He would be surrounded on a bed and there’d be medicine all around him. Medicine cabinets and pills and auction catalogues.
“It was astonishing. I thought, ‘This is amazing. This man has such a love of life. He’s not thinking about dying whatsoever. He’s still thinking about art’.
“He showed no fear to me about dying. No fear or sadness.”
Elton was one of the few friends admitted to the house in the final weeks.
Inside the house there was a permanent core group of people who had been with Freddie for years. Peter was at the heart of it with Joe Fanelli, Freddie’s chef and ex-boyfriend, and Jim Hutton, his final boyfriend.
They all lived at One Garden Lodge as part of Freddie’s built-in family.
The inner-circle also included ex-girlfriend Mary Austin and close friend Dave Clarke, who all shared the final vigil by his bedside.
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