Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen

Queen (band)

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave

Octave

In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...

 range. As a songwriter, Mercury composed many hits for Queen, including "Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...

", "Killer Queen", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a song by the rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury in 1979, the track featured on their 1980 album The Game, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...

" and "We Are the Champions

We Are the Champions

"We Are the Champions" is a power ballad written by Freddie Mercury, recorded and performed by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. One of their most famous and popular songs, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems...

". In addition to his work with Queen, he led a solo career, penning hits such as "Barcelona", "I Was Born to Love You

I Was Born to Love You (song)

"I Was Born to Love You" is a 1985 song by Freddie Mercury, and was released as a single and on the Mr. Bad Guy album. After Mercury's death, Queen remixed this song for their album Made in Heaven in 1995, by having the other members play their instrumental parts over the original track.The song...

" and "Living on My Own

Living on My Own

"Living on My Own" is a song by Freddie Mercury, originally included in his first solo album Mr. Bad Guy.It was released as a single in September 1985 in the United Kingdom where it peaked at number 50...

".