Freddie Mercury Estate Shares Emotional Video In Honor Of His 73rd Birthday

Queen Perform At Live Aid At Wembley

September 5 marks what would be Freddie Mercury's 73rd birthday, and though the Queen frontman is no longer with us, his estate celebrated the special day by sharing a new animated video for his solo song "Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow" in partnership with The Mercury Phoenix Trust. The singer passed away in 1991 at the age of 45 due to complications from the AIDS virus, and animators Esteban Bravo and Beth David wanted to tell his story while also portraying the modern understanding of the disease.

“We wanted to tell a story that was relevant to Freddie's life, but not explicitly about him. The AIDS crisis of the 1980s is a huge part of LGBT+ history, and it's something that we knew needed to be handled with care," the animators said about the video. "It's a fine line to walk between shedding light on a subject, and perpetuating a stigma, and we were cautious not to lean into tropes and stereotypes that might hurt the modern understanding of the AIDS virus, rather than help it."

"In researching the HIV/AIDS virus and the way it affects the body's immune system, we were inspired to take a look at the story through a more microscopic lens," they added. "It is a love story between two white blood cells, one of which has become infected by the virus. This perspective gave us a more direct visual representation of our conflict, which allowed us to explore the more nuanced struggles the characters face in their relationship with each other, their perceptions of themselves, and society's perception, bias, and neglect of them."

"The LGBT+ community fought for years for the right to proper research and healthcare, and because of that fight, millions of lives have been saved. We wanted to celebrate that victory," they added. "Through perseverance, strength, and love, our characters not only survive, but live long, healthy lives together.”

Watch the emotional "Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow" video below and look out for the Never Boring Freddie Mercury box set on October 11.

Photo: Getty Images


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