Freddie Mercury had a secret daughter with whom he maintained a close relationship until his death in 1991, according to a new biography. The book, Love, Freddie, claims the child was conceived accidentally during an affair with the wife of a close friend in 1976.
The woman, known only as B, is now 48 and works as a medical professional in Europe. She has shared the contents of 17 volumes of detailed personal journals that Mercury gave her, which she had kept secret. The journals chronicle his life from childhood in Zanzibar to his final days.
In a handwritten letter included in the book, B writes: 'Freddie Mercury was and is my father. We had a very close and loving relationship from the moment I was born and throughout the final 15 years of his life. He adored me and was devoted to me.'
Mercury began writing the diaries on 20 June 1976, when he first learned of the pregnancy, and wrote his final entry on 31 July 1991, as his health deteriorated. He died aged 45 of bronchial pneumonia caused by Aids.
Biographer Lesley-Ann Jones said she was approached by B three years ago. 'My instinct was to doubt everything, but I am absolutely sure she is not a fantasist,' Jones told the Daily Mail.
