Freddie Mercury’s piano and manuscript sold at auction for four million euros

Freddie Mercury’s piano, on which he wrote almost all of his works, was sold this Wednesday for two million euros at Sotheby’s in London, where the Bohemian Rhapsody manuscript fetched 1.6 million euros.

This Wednesday, several of the Queen singer’s pieces began to go up for auction at Sotheby’s, which will hold new auctions this month to try to find buyers for the roughly 1,500 items left in the Garden Lodge, a Georgian building that Mercury bought in a wealthy home. A resident of the Kensington area of ​​London in 1980.

The Yamaha grand piano, which the musician acquired in 1975 and accompanied him throughout most of his career, sold below an estimated amount of 3.5 million euros.

Several manuscripts of the musician, who died on November 24, 1991, the day after the public admission that he had AIDS, as well as an extensive collection of works of art, furniture and clothing, were seen by more than 100 thousand people during the action. this summer in London will last a month-long exhibition.

Previously, viewers in New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong could get a close look at the Queen frontman’s personal effects, such as the comb he used to trim his mustache (€40,000), and historical documents, such as a pencil sketch of the lyrics to “Bohemian Rhapsody”, drawn on the promotional calendar.

This manuscript, in which he wrote one of his most iconic works, was sold for 1.6 million euros.

The Victorian-style silver bracelet worn by Freddie Mercury with an ivory satin suit in the “Bohemian Rhapsody” music video sold for the highest price ever paid at auction for a piece of jewelry owned by a rock star.

The bracelet sold for $881,000, 100 times the low asking price.

The first batch sold this Wednesday included one of the mansion doors on which hundreds of fans left their condolences in the days after the singer’s death, sold for €481,700 after a 15-minute arm wrestling match between several buyers.

Buyers also spotted a notebook with handwritten lyrics from Queen’s seventh album Jazz (1978) and a royal-style outfit that Mercury wore during the Magic Tour in 1986.

Before the start of trading, Sotheby’s published a personal note from musician Elton John, a friend of Mercury.

“Freddie and I shared a love of collecting and exchanged many gifts over a long period of time, including some that were part of this auction. He was kind, generous and funny, and the tragedy of AIDS took him out of the world too soon,” he said, the Rocket Man composer.

The objects were sold by Mercury’s close friend Mary Austin, to whom Mercury left his house and all his possessions before his death.

Part of the proceeds from live and online auctions goes to charity.