Latest news with #KillerQueen
American Military News
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- American Military News
Roy Thomas Baker, record producer behind Queen's ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,' dies at 78
Roy Thomas Baker, the hitmaking record producer behind some of the biggest and most proudly polished songs and albums of the rock era — including Queen's chart-topping, multipart 'Bohemian Rhapsody' — died April 12 at his home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. He was 78. His death was announced by a spokesperson, Bob Merlis, who said the cause had not yet been established. Known for his technological savvy and his discipline in the recording studio, Baker oversaw the creation of Queen's first four albums, which spun off a varied assortment of singles in the early 1970s including the jaunty 'Killer Queen,' the tender 'You're My Best Friend' and the almost comically elaborate 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' which moves over six minutes from a show-tune-style intro through a densely arranged operatic sequence before climaxing in a hard-rock section that inspired a headbanging set piece in 1992's 'Wayne's World' movie. ''Bohemian Rhapsody' was totally insane, but we enjoyed every minute of it,' Baker told Mix magazine in 1999. 'It was basically a joke, but a successful joke.' The song went to No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart in 1975 and later peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 after 'Wayne's World' was released. In 2018, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' provided the title of the blockbuster biopic about Queen's flamboyant frontman, Freddie Mercury; on Spotify, the song has been streamed more than 2.7 billion times. Baker had a similarly close artistic relationship with the Cars, whose first four albums he produced; among the gleaming new wave hits they created were 'Just What I Needed,' 'My Best Friend's Girl,' 'Let's Go' and 'Shake It Up.' The producer also worked with Journey, Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Devo and Ozzy Osbourne, among many others. He reunited with Queen in 1978 to make 'Jazz.' Born in the Hampstead area of London on Nov. 10, 1946, Baker got his start in music as a second engineer at London's vaunted Decca Studios and Trident Studios, where he assisted the producers Gus Dudgeon and Tony Visconti and worked on records by the likes of David Bowie, the Who and the Rolling Stones. He moved to Los Angeles in the late '70s and later became an A&R rep for Elektra Records, helping to bring acts including Metallica and 10,000 Maniacs to the label. In the late '90s and early 2000s, he produced albums by Local H, the Smashing Pumpkins and the Darkness. Baker is survived by his wife, Tere Livrano Baker, and his brother, Alan Baker. Asked by Mix what he thought of artists forgoing producers to make their own records, Baker compared the decision to 'someone wanting to be their own lawyer in court' and advised against it. 'I think, even if you're a great producer who happens to be an artist, and you're great at working with other artists, you should never produce yourself,' he said. 'You still need somebody else around to make sure you get the best out of yourself, because you can't be in two places at once.' ___ © 2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
News24
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Freddie Mercury's sister forked out R75m to buy her brother's possessions at auction
The younger sister of Queen's Freddie Mercury, Kashmira Bulsara, spent £3 million (R74,5m) to keep her brother's belongings out of the hands of strangers. Freddie's confidante and former fiancée, Mary Austin (74), who received the lion's share of his estate after his death at 45 in 1991, provided 1 400 items that had belonged to the Queen frontman for auction by Sotheby's in 2023. 'Of course Kashmira appreciates how adored Freddie was across the world, but she was saddened to think of some of his sentimental belongings not being with his loved ones,' a source told The Sun. The auction, titled Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own, closed with sales of £40m, far higher than the expected £11m. It drew more than 140 000 visitors and buyers from more than 50 countries. Items for sale included handwritten lyrics and some of Freddie's famous stage costumes, as well as his moustache comb, champagne bottles from his cellar and paintings that once adorned his home including works by Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso. READ MORE | SEE THE PICS: Freddie Mercury's 'glorious memory box' home is up for sale Kashimira (73), a businesswoman and philanthropist, successfully bid on her big brother's Wurlitzer model 850 jukebox which had been in his home, a hand-painted waistcoat featuring portraits of his cats, a military-style jacket designed for his 39th birthday and the draft lyrics of Queen's 1974 classic Killer Queen. While Kashmira spent more than she'd anticipated at the auction, she was happy with the belongings she'd bought, the source said. Freddie and Mary met in 1969 and dated for several years until they were engaged in 1973. They broke off their engagement in 1976 after he came out as gay, but remained close friends until his death. 'The only friend I've got is Mary, and I don't want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other; that's enough for me,' Freddie said in an interview. Most of his estate, including his Kensington mansion, was left to Mary. Kashmira was also at Freddie's side in his last days, along with Freddie's longtime partner, Jim Hutton, who passed away in 2010. Kashmira isn't the first relative of a celebrity to buy their possessions at auction. Julian Lennon, son of late Beatles star John and his first wife, Cynthia, claimed in a 1999 interview that he had to buy back his father's letters and postcards – as well as ones Julian had sent him – after John's second wife, Yoko Ono, reportedly refused to give them to him.
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Katy Perry's 'absolutely gorgeous' £40 perfume now £14 on Amazon
The pop star's signature scent has been marked down - and fans are rushing to get their hands on a bottle Katy Perry fans have been praising the star's popular perfume line which is selling on Amazon at a major discount. The pop star's Killer Queen perfume comes in a luxurious-looking ruby gemstone bottle, complete with a gold-coloured nozzle. The 100ml bottle is normally worth £40 but is available on Amazon for just £13.99. Fans claim this is the best place to stock up on one of the singer's fragrance lines. The fragrance blends dark berries, plum and bergamot with patchouli and cashmeran. People claimed the generously-sized perfume had a unique and "absolutely gorgeous" scent. Thousands of shoppers shared reviews of the perfume. One said: "This perfume is divine! It smells absolutely gorgeous!" Another added: "This perfume has a long-lasting, lovely smell. I use it when I go out and it lasts a long time." A third wrote: "A gorgeous perfume! [It comes in a] big bottle which lasts ages, worth the money." Someone else posted: "This was one of the first perfumes I used growing up and I still love it to this day. It smells very sweet which I personally love in a perfume. Highly recommend as it's so affordable compared to others." And, a fifth put in their review: "I get so many compliments when I wear this. Great perfume at a great price." But, not every shopper was pleased with their purchase. One claimed: "Read all the 5 star reviews and had high hopes. I can only imagine I have been sent something different from other people as my bottle has no scent - I've smelt stronger deodorants!" Another warned: "The bottle looks unique but is annoying due to the design. It doesn't stand and needs to be laid somewhere flat." There are plenty of fragrance deals out there if you shop around at other stores. You can spot some great offers on celebrity-made perfumes by your favourite stars too. . And, at The Perfume Shop, the Britney Spears Fantasy fragrance is discounted from £49 to £24.99.
AsiaOne
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
Freddie Mercury's sister spent $5.2m buying up his auctioned belongings, Entertainment News
Freddie Mercury's sister reportedly spent £3 million (S$5.2m) buying up his belongings after they were auctioned off by his ex Mary Austin. The Queen star — who died in 1991 aged 45 — left much of his estate including his London home and its contents to his former lover and longtime friend Mary, who sold off his possessions at auction back in 2023. Now, The Sun newspaper reports Freddie's sibling Kashmira Bulsara, 73, spent millions buying up lots to keep them in the family. A source told the publication: "Kashmira was angry and upset to see so many of her beloved brother's possessions become available for anyone to buy. "So she went for a private viewing, anonymously... to see which bits she wanted to try to get... "Kashmira watched [the auction] online and told her PA how much to bid for each item. They had set aside a huge budget so were actually very happy with the final figure laid out, despite paying well over the estimated price for each one. "Of course, Kashmira appreciates how adored Freddie was across the world, but she was saddened to think of some of his sentimental belongings not being with his loved ones." The newspaper reports items bought by Kashmira included a waistcoat emblazoned with portraits of Freddie's six cats which he wore in the music video for Queen's track These Are The Days Of Our Lives. It sold for £139,700. Kashmira is also said to have snapped up a Wurlitzer Model 850 jukebox (£406,400), draft lyrics for Queen song Killer Queen (£279,400), a Daum Persimmons vase which had been converted into a lamp (£22,860) and a Nike sweatshirt (£40,640). The auction is believed to have made around £40 million and Mary donated some of the proceeds to charity, with funds going to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, which was set up in the late singer's honour, and the Elton John Aids Foundation. Mary said at the time of the sale: "The time has come for me to take the difficult decision to close this very special chapter in my life. "I decided that it wouldn't be appropriate for me to keep things back. If I was going to sell, I had to be brave and sell the lot." [[nid:717169]]
Euronews
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Freddie Mercury's sister spent £3million buying back brother's possessions
ADVERTISEMENT Freddie Mercury's sister secretly spent around £3 million (€3.5 million) to buy items from an auction of the Queen singer's possessions. Kashmira Bulsara reportedly spent the huge sum at the 2023 Sotheby's auction of 1,400 possessions owned by the late Mercury. The auction was the biggest single sale of the singer's possessions. It was organised by Mary Austin, the close friend and former fiancé of Mercury, who inherited a vast amount of his estate following his death in 1991. 'For many years I had the joy and privilege of living surrounded by all the wonderful things Freddie sought out and loved so much,' said Austin at the time. 'But the years have passed and the time has come for me to make the difficult decision to close this very special chapter of my life.' Freddie Mercury's Yamaha Grand Piano, estimated at 2-3 million pounds, on display at Sotheby's auction rooms in London, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023 AP Photo Austin donated part of the proceeds to the Elton John Aids Foundation and to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, an Aids charity set up by the remaining Queen members. However, Bulsara was upset to see so many of her brother's possessions bid on by strangers. She reportedly went to view the lots ahead of the auction and sent her personal assistant to bid on items. Overall, the auction closed with sales of £40 million (€46.7 million). Of these sales, Bulsara is believed to have bought Mercury's Wurlitzer Model 850 jukebox, a waistcoat with portraits of his cats, a military-style jacket designed for Mercury's 39th birthday, and a set of draft lyrics to Queen's 1974 classic 'Killer Queen'. Adding up the reported sales of these items, Bulsara may have spent up to £3 million on buying her brother's possessions.
