NEW YORK — Freddie Mercury’s handwritten lyrics and a crown and cloak from his final Queen tour are for sale in upcoming auctions sure to rock fans.
A sprawling collection of about 1,500 personal and professional items belonging to the late singer will be made available this summer by the Sotheby’s auction house, organizers announced Wednesday.
Among the items available are manuscripts featuring Mercury’s working lyrics for the hits “We Are The Champions” and “Killer Queen.” Mercury, who died in London in 1991, left his estate to his longtime friend Mary Austin, who is making the items available.
“For many years now, I have had the joy and privilege of living surrounded by all the wonderful things that Freddie sought out and so loved. But the years have passed, and the time has come for me to take the difficult decision to close this very special chapter in my life,” Austin said in a statement.
“It was important to me to do this in a way that I felt Freddie would have loved, and there was nothing he loved more than an auction,” Austin continued. “Freddie was an incredible and intelligent collector who showed us that there is beauty and fun and conversation to be found in everything.”
The “We Are The Champions” lyrics are expected to sell for between $250,000 and $375,000, while the “Killer Queen” manuscript is projected to go for between $62,000 and $87,000, Sotheby’s said.
The crown — which resembles the U.K.’s royal St. Edward’s Crown — and red cloak that Mercury wore while performing “God Save The Queen” in 1986 is expected to sell for between $75,000 and $100,000.
Also available are the guitar Mercury was believed to have used to write and record “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” artwork owned by the Queen frontman and a Tiffany & Co. mustache comb.
The collection will be displayed in New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong in June before going to auction in September.
