Millennials may not know the name Freddie Mercury but his musical legacy may strike a chord: Who has never heard of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ or ‘Love of my Life’, for instance? The native of Zanzibar, whose real name is Farrokh Bulsara, was a phenomenal singer who formed the British rock band Queen back in the 1970s.

So, what better way to commemorate a twentieth-century icon than to make a film about him? The musical ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ directed by Bryan Singer, stars Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury and Lucy Boynton as Mary Austin. The plot revolves around the band’s beginnings, their struggle to be heard, and, finally, the band’s opportunity to perform at Live Aid in 1985, following Freddie’s diagnosis of AIDS.

Freddie Mercury and Mary Austin’s store. Why did Freddie describe Mary as the ‘love of his life? Born to deaf parents in London, Mary Austin was forced to drop out of school at the age of 15. A few years later, she began dating Brian May who turned out to be Freddie’s bandmate.

The relationship barely took off so when Mary met Freddie and he asked her out after a while she readily agreed. In no time, the pair moved in together and would date for the next 7 years. Although she was also a singer, the band’s success became overwhelming for her and she contemplated leaving Freddie at some point, but the sincerity of his feelings stopped her.

However, in the last two years of their relationship, a bitter truth came to light. Mary told Daily Mail that she had sensed something was off and was shocked when he confessed to being bisexual, to which she replied, “No Freddie, I don’t think you are bisexual. I think you are gay.”

Discovering that he had cheated on her numerous times brought an end to their romance, but not to their friendship. She moved out and into an apartment that his record company got for her. Freddie was once quoted as having said:

“All my lovers asked me why they couldn’t replace Mary, but it’s simply impossible. I couldn’t fall in love with a man the same way I did with Mary.” In 1987, Mary learned that Freddie was HIV positive. Even though they weren’t together anymore, she stood by him until his passing in 1991, and,

following Freddie’s instructions, she had him cremated and placed his ashes in a secret location, one that no one else knows about. There is no doubt that the pair loved each other deeply. She revealed that Freddie had said to her: “If things had been different, you would have been my wife…”