More than 30 years have passed since the world farewelled Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.
And while the mark he made lives on in his music and iconic performances, that same legacy is now at risk of being tarnished, thanks to a shock Freddie Mercury family feud.
It’s been revealed that the late star’s sister, Kashmira Bulsara, 73, spent almost $6.2 million of her own money to buy back a selection of her late brother’s personal items.
They were up for sale in a 2023 Sotheby’s auction.
The sale was organised by Freddie’s former fiancée, and closest confidant, Mary Austin.
At the time, Mary said she had made “the difficult decision to close this very special chapter in my life”.
She added, “I decided that it would not be appropriate for me to keep things back. If I were going to sell, I had to be brave and sell the lot.”
When Freddie died in 1991 at the age of 45, following his AIDS diagnosis, he left half of his $160 million fortune to Mary, along with his London mansion, Garden Lodge, and all its contents.
The other half of his estate was inherited by his sister, father Bomi, and mother Jer. His parents are both now deceased.
But no one could ever have imagined that a Freddie Mercury family feud would erupt decades later.
In the years since, Mary, 74, has lived very privately and rarely speaks publicly about her connection to the iconic Queen frontman. Kashmira has, on occasion, given interviews about her brother.
But there was never any suggestion of a Freddie Mercury family feud – until now.
A source recently told the Daily Mail that Kashmira was “angry and upset” at seeing almost 1400 of Freddie’s precious possessions being available for “anyone” to buy.
So, she spent $845,000 on Freddie’s jukebox and $290,000 on a vest he wore in the last video he ever made, among other things.
“She was saddened to think that some of his sentimental belongings [would not be] with his loved ones,” the source said.
But it seems the auction also shed new light on the state of Mary’s relationship with Freddie’s family.
“The resentment erupted when Freddie’s will was read and it emerged that he’d left the bulk of his estate not to his blood family but to the love of his life,” the Daily Mail source also stated.
The insider alleged Mary had scattered Freddie’s ashes after his death – and has still never told anyone, including his family, where.
“It was one of the last promises Mary made to Freddie,” the source added.
How this drama will play out remains to be seen, but Queen fans the world over will be horrified that two of the women he loved most are now publicly at odds.
