The woman who claimed to be the “secret daughter” of Queen legend Freddie Mercury has died at the age of 48.
Reports that the late frontman may have had a daughter first came to light last May, when a new biography called Love, Freddie was published. It explores the life of the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ singer and alleged that the child was conceived accidentally during an affair with the wife of a close friend in 1976.
The woman was only referred to as “B” throughout the book, and she claimed that Mercury kept a close relationship with her until his death in 1991. The biography – written by journalist Lesley-Ann Jones – also claimed that he would visit her regularly and give her 17 volumes of detailed personal journals.
Today (Thursday January 15), it has been confirmed that “B” has died, aged 48.
The news was shared by her husband, Thomas, who shared a statement with the Daily Mail. In it, he said that she died “peacefully after a long battle with chordoma, a rare spinal cancer” and has left behind “two sons aged nine and seven”.
Thomas also said that “B” was “now with her beloved and loving father in the world of thoughts”, and had her ashes scattered over the Alps.
Jones also shared a statement following news of “B”’s death, and said (via The Independent): “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.”
When Love, Freddie was shared last year, it was believed that only Mercury’s inner circle were aware of “B”’s existence.
There was widespread doubt too about if “B” was actually the daughter of the rock legend, and Jones told the Daily Mail that when she was approached by “B” three years ago, her first “instinct was to doubt everything, but I am absolutely sure she is not a fantasist.”
“No one could have faked all this. Why would she have worked with me for three and a half years, never demanding anything?,” she added.
The journalist also alleged that Queen’s songs ‘Don’t Try So Hard’ and ‘Bijou’ were written about “B”, as per The Independent.
Scepticism about the claims came from Mercury’s former girlfriend and close friend Mary Austin, who said that the singer “had a glorious openness and I cannot imagine he would have wanted to, or been able to, keep such a joyful event a secret, either from me or other people closest to him”.
Queen bandmate Brian May also said he wanted to remain “neutral” on the subject, although his wife Anita Dobson described B’s claims as “fake news”.
The comments prompted “B” to speak out for the first time in August last year. She told the Daily Mail that she was “devastated” by Austin’s comments, and once again said that she had a “very close and loving” relationship with her father, who she says treated her “like a treasured possession”.
Mercury died in 1991, aged 45, of bronchial pneumonia caused by Aids.
