when I was growing up. Everyone knew, of course, but he was pretty circumspect in keeping his public life and private affairs firmly under his own control. Mercury was simply the greatest front man in the history of Rock and Roll.

Everything I have heard is that he was bi.

He was a great singer and a gentleman. That's all I really care to know.

growing up in Cleveland, 16 yrs old in the 70's at the height of their popularity, it never even dawned on any of us that he was gay. It didn't matter. There were the urban legends regarding Elton John, Rod Stewart and stomach pumping, but nada about Freddie. If the band name was intended as a double entendre, we didn't get it. We thought it meant royalty, the opposite of king. They were just popular as hell. I remember seeing them during a massive blizzard in a sold-out 20K seat auditorium, opening with "We Will Rock You" and shaking the building with the force/power. I also recall their albums carrying the tag that no keyboards or synthesizers were used in producing the sound. Did you catch the recent Family Guy episode with Stewie being frightened by the robot "News of the World" album cover?

talent like that doesn't come around often.

. . .the tribute that Pink does on the live DVD from Australia. The band is killer, the vocals are amazing, and they took nearly zero liberties, preferring to just cover the song the way Queen did it.

Reallly good.
GAC