A new biography claims that Freddie Mercury, the late Queen frontman, had a secret daughter with whom he maintained a close relationship until his death in 1991. The book, titled Love, Freddie, alleges that the child was conceived accidentally during an affair with the wife of a close friend in 1976.
The woman, identified only as B, is now 48 and works as a medical professional in Europe. She has shared 17 volumes of personal journals written by Mercury, which he gave to her. The journals chronicle his life from childhood in Zanzibar to his final days.
In a 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.' She adds that she chose to reveal herself after 'more than three decades of lies, speculation and distortion.'
Biographer Lesley-Ann Jones, who wrote the book, told the Daily Mail that she was approached by B three years ago. Jones said: 'My instinct was to doubt everything, but I am absolutely sure she is not a fantasist. No one could have faked all this.'
Mercury started writing the diaries on 20 June 1976, two days after Queen released 'You're My Best Friend', and wrote his final entry on 31 July 1991, as his health declined. He died aged 45 from bronchial pneumonia caused by AIDS.
