As Freddie Mercury’s secret daughter dies aged 48 The Mirror takes a look at the hidden life of the woman known only as B, from her xxx to her xxx
Freddie Mercury lived his life on the stage – but he still had his secrets.
Last year The Queen icon’s ‘secret’ daughter, known only as B, was revealed ahead of the release of a bombshell book titled Love, Freddie. The lovechild spoke to author and music journalist Lesley-Ann Jones to reveal her link to the rock star – but her real name and identity were never made public. Now, her family has confirmed her tragic death aged 48.
The news was confirmed by her family, who said she died “peacefully after a long battle with chordoma, a rare spinal cancer, leaving two sons aged nine and seven”. A statement from her widower, named Thomas, added to the Daily Mail: “B is now with her beloved and loving father in the world of thoughts. Her ashes were scattered to the wind over the Alps.”
Meanwhile, Lesley-Ann Jones, who penned the book, shared her heartbreak over the news as she told the publication: “I am devastated by the loss of this woman who became my close friend, who had come to me with a selfless aim: to brush aside all those who have had free rein with Freddie’s story for 32 years, to challenge their lies and their rewriting of his life, and to deliver the truth.”
READ MORE: Heartbreaking reason Freddie Mercury’s daughter couldn’t prove identity before she died
Lesley-Anna also added: “At the end of her life, it was all that mattered to her. She was very ill throughout the 4 years that we worked together. But she was on a mission. She put herself and her own needs last.”
Last year, the author revealed Freddie had secretly fathered a child during an affair in 1976. She said at the time: “Having spent a quarter of a century researching and writing books about Freddie Mercury, and having covered Queen’s performances on the road, I thought I knew virtually all that there was to know about him. I was wrong. Working with his only child and next of kin over several years to create the book that tells his true story in his and his daughter’s own words has been the greatest privilege of my professional life. I could never have imagined this hidden Freddie. Yet he was real.”
Meanwhile, in the light of her death Lesley-Ann has revealed more details about the rock icon’s secret daughter, claiming he called her ‘Bibi’, ‘trésor’, which translates into treasure from French, and his ‘little froggie’.
Queen’s songs Don’t Try So Hard and Bijou are said to have been written about his secret lovechild, whom the singer is said to have had a close bond with up until he died. We Will Rock You star Freddie is said to have fathered his daughter after a brief, unexpected liaison in 1976 with the wife of one of his close friends. While the child was as closely-guarded secret a select few knew the truth including his parents, sister, bandmates and longtime confidante Mary Austin.
For 48 years, B has led a ‘normal’ life. Between her mum, step-dad and Freddie, it was agreed that B would be brought up by her mother and her husband, though Freddie remained incredibly close to B. He even had his own bedroom at the family home, popping round for visits on a regular basis.
While Freddie’s daughter’s identity wasn’t made public some details about her were revealed – including the fact she lived in Europe, was a healthcare professional and had two children. As her link to Freddie was explosively revealed, she detailed how she was raised by a loving family but always knew the music icon was her dad. Before he died of pneumonia caused by Aids in 1991, Freddie gave his daughter 17 volumes of his personal journals.
Her choice to unveil excerpts from his private writings came from wanting to dispel falsehoods and rumours that swirled for decades. B explained: “After more than three decades of lies, speculation and distortion, it is time to let Freddie speak.” She continued: “He entrusted his collection of private notebooks to me, his only child and his next of kin, the written record of his private thoughts, memories and feelings about everything he had experienced.”
B further revealed that whilst his management team and close mates were aware the notebooks existed, they’d been left in the dark about their whereabouts – until now. A handwritten letter penned by B features in the book, reflecting on her special relationship with Freddie, she wrote: “We had a very close and loving relationship from the moment I was born and throughout the final 15 years of his life.”
She continued: ” He adored me and was devoted to me. The circumstances of my birth may seem, by most people’s standards, unusual and even outrageous.” She also declared that her choice to step into the limelight “in my own midlife is my decision and mine alone.”
“The life I live with my husband and our family in another country is intensely private. We want things to stay that way. We cherish our peaceful and anonymous life, and we want nothing to disturb it. Nobody needs to know who I am.”
