'Bohemian Rhapsody' Creator Freddie Mercury's Piano to be Auctioned Next Month

Friend Inherited Belongings, Auctioning All Collections
30,000 Items Including Clothes, Furniture, Photos... Also Exhibition

Legendary British rock band Queen's lead vocalist Freddie Mercury's 30,000 personal items, including the piano he used to compose the iconic song "Bohemian Rhapsody," are going up for auction.

According to British daily The Guardian and other foreign media on the 3rd (local time), 30,000 items including clothing, furniture, photographs used by Freddie Mercury during his lifetime, and lyrics he personally wrote will be exhibited at Sotheby's auction in London next month. Ahead of the auction, Sotheby's will hold a free exhibition of all Mercury's items at the London Sotheby's Gallery from the 4th until the 5th of next month, lasting one month.

A scene from the movie 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' which depicts the life of Freddie Mercury
[Photo by 20th Century Fox Korea, Yonhap News]

The items up for auction have been managed by Mercury's close friend Mary Austin (72). When Mercury died in 1991 at the age of 45, he bequeathed his Kensington mansion "Garden Lodge" and its interior furnishings to Austin. Thirty-two years later, this year, Austin decided to dispose of all of Mercury's belongings. Austin plans to donate part of the auction proceeds to the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Among the auction items, the baby grand piano stands out the most. A baby grand piano refers to a grand piano that is shorter in length than its width. Mercury owned a black lacquered Yamaha baby grand piano. He composed "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 1975 on this piano. The estimated auction price for this piano is 3 million pounds (approximately 4.96 billion KRW).

The piano on which Freddie Mercury composed 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Austin recalled about this piano, "It was an extension of Mercury himself and a means of his creativity," adding, "Mercury never smoked in front of the piano or placed glasses on it, and he did not allow others to smoke either. The piano was always kept clean."

Other notable items in the auction include the crown and cape worn during the finale of Mercury's last tour performance in 1986, "God Save The Queen," a mustache comb made by the luxury jewelry brand Tiffany & Co., and handwritten lyrics of "We Are The Champions" and "Killer Queen" by Mercury.

Regarding this exhibition and auction, Thomas Williams, director at Sotheby's, said, "Freddie liked to keep things and never threw anything away," adding, "Through the items he left behind, we can see everything about Mercury from his prime to his death."

The total estimated auction price is between 7.6 million and 11 million pounds (approximately 12.57 billion to 18.19 billion KRW). Director Williams added, "Many people will be able to bid on small items that Freddie used."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.