Sotheby’s to Auction Extensive Collection of Freddie Mercury’s Personal Items and Artifacts from Queen’s Career

Legendary rock band Queen and its frontman Freddie Mercury will be the focus of an upcoming auction in September. The auction will feature an extensive collection of costumes, fine art, and even handwritten working lyrics for “We Are the Champions” and “Killer Queen” that Mercury had left to his close friend, Mary Austin, when he died in 1991 at the age of 45 due to AIDS-related pneumonia.

Austin, who had been keeping the items in Mercury’s home in the upscale Kensington neighborhood of London, said she had reached the “difficult decision” that it was time to sell it all, according to Sotheby’s. Mercury had said he wanted to live a Victorian life surrounded by “exquisite clutter,” and Austin has kept most of it the way he left it.

The auction will include a painting by 19th century French artist James Tissot of his Irish muse and lover Kathleen, titled “Type of Beauty.” Other items include a selection of costumes from the band’s iconic music videos and live performances, as well as a selection of fine art, antiques, and furniture.

The auction is expected to attract a wide range of fans and collectors from around the world. It will be an opportunity for fans to own a piece of rock history, as well as to celebrate the life and legacy of Freddie Mercury. The auction will take place on September 2023.