d25 years since his death and days before what would have been his 70th birthday on 5 September, Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Buksara) has been honoured with an English Heritage blue plaque which reads:

Freddy Mercury
(Fred Bulsara)
1946-1991
Singer and
Songwriter
Lived here

The plaque was unveiled on 1 September by Brian May and Freddie’s sister Kashmira Cooke at Freddie Mercury’s first home in Feltham, West London. The plaque is installed in the semi-detached family home at 22 Gladstone Avenue when Mercury left Zanzibar in 1964 at the age of 17. Freddie Mercury was living at this address when he met Brian May and Roger Taylor. Brian May commented on his first visit to Freddie’s home:

“We spent most of the day appreciating and analysing the intimate detail the way that Jimi Hendrix had put his recordings together.”

Freddie’s sister Kashmira Cooke said:

“Mum and I are so proud and pleased. Secretly he would have been too.”

This honour adds to a great number of tributes to the legendary singer including a 10 feet statue erected in Montreux, Switzerland – overlooking Lake Geneva – which was sculpted by Irena Sedlecka unveiled by Mercury’s father in 1996.

The show continues to go on.