Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury always made Queen his principal creative focus, releasing only a few stand-alone singles, one solo album and a duet project with operatic soprano Montserrat Caballe before his 1991 death from AIDS complications. In fact, Mercury returned to complete a Queen album during the sessions for his 1985 debut 'Mr. Bad Guy,' releasing a No. 10 U.K. solo hit with 1984's "Love Kills" in the meantime. But when it finally appeared, 'Mr. Bad Guy' became a U.K. Top 10 hit as well, producing a single in "I Was Born to Love You" that also went to No. 11 overseas. 'Barcelona,' recorded in 1988 with Caballe, grew out of a song project Mercury undertook after Barcelona was selected to host the 1992 Summer Olympics. That initial Caballe duet eventually evolved into a full-length studio project. Since his sad passing, Mercury's solo debut has proven to be a treasure trove for posthumous Queen releases. Two tracks were later updated by Queen's remaining members for 1995's 'Made in Heaven.' A discarded collaboration with Michael Jackson from the 'Mr. Bad Guy' sessions ended up on 2014's 'Queen Forever,' as did the single "Love Kills."

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