Last Updated on 09/10/2023 by てんしょく飯
A piano belonging to Freddie Mercury, the singer of the British rock band Queen who died in 1991, sold at auction for $2.2 million.
The piano, which was used to compose some of Queen’s hit songs, including “Bohemian Rhapsody,” went on the auction block.
Part of an auction of Freddie’s estate held this week at Sotheby’s in London, the final price was below the expected winning bid, which was estimated at $2.5 million to $3.8 million.
The handwritten lyrics to “Bohemian Rhapsody” with the original title “Mongolian Rhapsody” fetched $1.7 million, while the snake bangle worn by Freddie in the song’s music video sold for $870,000.
On the other hand, the Cartier onyx and diamond ring, which was one of the main exhibits, was sold to a friend of Freddie’s, Elton John, who read out a letter beforehand, saying, “I will always think of Freddie. He was a wonderful friend, more full of love and life than anyone I ever met.” After the memorial service, the ring was auctioned off and fetched $339,000, about 70 times the estimated sales price.
Freddie, who died of complications from AIDS in 1991, left all his possessions to his best friend Mary Austin, who has sold them at six auctions at this point, donating a portion of the proceeds to the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation The auction was held on the same day as Freddie’s death, more than 30 years ago.
In a statement released through Sotheby’s about why she finally decided to sell them more than 30 years after Freddie’s death, Mary said. Over the years I have had the pleasure and privilege of living among the wonderful objects that Freddie sought out and loved,” she said. It was important to me to do it in a way that Freddie would have loved. There was nothing he loved more than auctions. Freddie was an incredibly intelligent collector who taught me that you can find beauty and fun in everything.
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