Mary Austin is the former fiancée of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the rock band “Queen.’ After the death of Mercury in 1991, she inherited his Garden Lodge house where she continues to reside with her family.
The 2018 biographical film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is based on the life of Freddie Mercury and the band Queen. The role of Mary Austin in the film is portrayed by American-born English actress Lucy Boynton. Rami Malek plays the role of Freddie in the film. The film released in theaters in May 2018. Critics had panned the film, but the movie hit gold at the box office. Made with a budget of $51 million, Bohemian Rhapsody collected nearly $600 million at the global box office as of Jan 2019.
Even though the film did not win any critical acclaim, it won 3 Golden Globe Awards at the 2019 event, the Best Actor Drama for Rami and the Best Picture Drama. It has also become a major contender for the 2019 Academy Awards.
Early Life and Education
Austin was born on March 6, 1951, in Fulham, London, the UK, in the working class neighborhood of Battersea. Her mother worked as a maid for a small firm while her father had a job as a wallpaper trimmer. Both her father and mother were deaf.
Mary dropped out of school when she was 15 years old. She then got a job as a receptionist with a modest salary. Later, she was employed by Biba, a high-end clothing store in London which was frequented by the top celebrities of the era.
Mary Austin and Freddie Mercury – Love Story
Mary met Freddie when she was working at Biba. He had just finished art college and was working in a Kensington clothing store. The year was 1969 and Mercury was 24 years old while Austin was 19 years old. A few months after their first meeting, the two moved in together into a cramped flat.
During this time, Freddie continued to pursue his career as a musician and played at college shows and other local concerts and clubs. In 1973, Queen released their self-titled debut album and the couple moved to a bigger house at Holland Road, London. On Christmas Day that year, Freddie proposed to Austin. He gave a box, inside which was another box, inside which was another box, and so on, till the last tiny box had a beautiful jade ring within it. Mary did not initially understand the meaning of the ring and asked Freddie on which hand should she wear the ring. Mercury replied ‘left’ and then asked her to marry him. She replied in the affirmative to him.
Mary and Freddie remained engaged over the years as Queen released ‘Sheer Heart Attack’ and ‘A Night at the Opera’ which raised their popularity and profile. Things were however not well on the home front. Mary began to think that something was amiss as Mercury did not discuss marriage even after being in the relationship for 6 years and engaged for 3 years. She felt that while the band was scaling new heights of success, their relationship was cooling down. She believed that Mercury may be having an affair with another woman. Hence, she decided to ask Freddie about it.
In 1976, during one of the nights that Freddie came home, Austin asked him about their relationship and he began to discuss his evolving se*ual feelings. He told her that he had se* with men and that he was a bisexual. Mary has stated that she was naïve and hence it took her some time to process the information. But once she understood the truth, she realized that he was gay and not bisexual; and even told him so.
Subsequently, she moved out of the flat and started living in a nearby apartment that the music-publishing company of Freddie bought for her. Mercury also moved out and relocated to 12 Stafford Terrace situated in Kensington.
Even though Freddie and Mary stopped being in a physical relationship, the two remained close. She remained the most important member of the band’s entourage and travelled on the road with Queen. Austin continued remain an integral part of Mercury’s life and was by his bedside when he died of AIDS related complications in 1991. She had helped take care of him when he was ill in the months before his death.
Mercury had asked Austin to take his ashes after cremation and place them in an undisclosed location. As per his wishes, she kept the ashes after cremation, secretly took the ashes out a couple of years after his death, and then buried it in some private place. She has stated that Freddie wanted his burial place to remain a secret and that she will never reveal that location.
Freddie left a vast amount of his fortune in his will to Austin, including his house, his Louis XV furniture, his art collection, and royalty proceeds. His will was effectively like a will that a man leaves for his widow. Freddie had stated that Austin was his common-law wife and would remain so forever. His will is ample proof of that.
Mercury wrote and sang the song ‘Love of My Life’ for Mary Austin, which continues to remain popular on YouTube.
Mary Austin – Net Worth
Mary’s share in the will increased after the death of Freddie’s parents. As of 2018, her net worth is estimated to be around $80 million. He also left his 28-room West London mansion and a major part of his $11.5 million fortune which also includes his art collection and prized furniture. It is most likely going to increase even further after she receives royalties from the film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ Austin also stands to receive 19 percent of earnings of Queen, considering the earnings go to surviving band-members guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon, drummer Roger Taylor and Freddie Mercury’s real estate.
Personal Life
- Austin got into a relationship with painter Piers Cameron in 1990. The couple had two children, Richard and Jamie. Mercury was the godfather of Richard. Austin never married Cameron and she left him in 1993.
- Austin married Nicholas Holford in 1998. The couple divorced in 2002.
- Mercury has written a few songs for Mary, the most popular being ‘Love Of My Life’.
- Austin also formed a foundation in the memory of Freddie. She has also continued supporting the musical efforts of Queen to this day.
Where is Mary Austin now?
While the rest of the Queen band members are enjoying the fresh stream of limelight from the success of Bohemian Rhapsody, Mary Austin has chosen to be away from all the attention.
With two other relationships that did not last long, It is evident that she found it difficult to find any man who could be as special as Mercury. Even Mercury had said, “I couldn’t fall in love with any man, as the way, I was with Mary.”
Mary lives in solitude in Mercury’s old palatial mansion at Garden Lodge at Logan Palace in London, the home she inherited after he died, in the year 1991. The commendable part is that she has not changed the décor of the home, and kept it just the way it, apart from doing the regular maintenance. In her words, “I lost somebody who I thought was my eternal love. When he died, I felt that we were in a marriage. We had lived our vows, we had done it for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.”