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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.
Metro
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Freddie Mercury's sister ‘spent £3,000,000 to get back singer's memorabilia'
Freddie Mercury's sister reportedly spent £3,000,000 to secure his belongings that were put up for auction by his ex. After being diagnosed with AIDS in 1987, the lead singer of rock band Queen died from complications from the disease aged 45 in 1991. In the early 1970s Mercury – born Farrokh Bulsara – had a long-term relationship with Mary Austin, whom he'd met a year before the band formed. The couple lived together for several years however split after he came out as gay. But they remained friends until his death. In his will Mercury left his London home to Austin after telling her: 'You would have been my wife, and it would have been yours anyway.' In 2023 Austin sold a selection of Mercury's items, part of the Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own auction by Sotheby's. More than 140,000 visitors attended a pre-sales exhibition, with 41,800 bids across six sessions and buyers from more than 50 different countries. At the time Austin said she needed to 'put my affairs in order', eventually selling 1,406 lots for a total of £40million. However, it's now emerged Mercury's sister Kashmira Bulsara spent millions trying to secure some of her brother's belongings. She is said to have been devastated seeing the items up for sale and was prepared to pay over the odds to keep them in the family. However, The Sun has reported Bulsara didn't want Austin to know she was bidding, doing so anonymously with her son Jamal Zook. 'Kashmira was angry and upset to see so many of her beloved brother's possessions become available for anyone to buy,' a source told the publication. 'So she went for a private viewing, anonymously, with Jamal and her PA before the auction to see which bits she wanted to try to get. 'Then when it came to auction time, Kashmira's PA went in-person to Sotheby's and was on the phone to Kashmira throughout. Kashmira watched 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,' they added. The source went on to share while Mercury's sister appreciated how adored he was around the world, she was 'saddened to think of some of his sentimental belongings not being with his loved ones'. Some of the items the 73-year-old snapped up included a Wurlitzer Model 850 jukebox for £406,400, and a waistcoat with portraits of Freddie's six cats on which went for £139,700. A military-style jacket made for his 39th birthday was her most expensive purchase, at £457,200. She also purchased eight pages of draft lyrics of Queen's 1974 hit Killer Queen for £279,400. After the auction Austin also donated some of the proceeds to the Mercury Phoenix Trust — an Aids charity set up by Freddie's Queen bandmates and their manager Jim Beach — and the Elton John Aids Foundation. 'The time has come for me to take the difficult decision to close this very special chapter in my life,' she said. '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.' Before his death, Mercury would refer to Austin as 'the love of his life', once calling her his only true friend. More Trending In a 1985 interview he said: 'All my lovers asked me why they couldn't replace Mary, but it's simply impossible. 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.' Queen's 1975 song Love Of My Life was written by Mercury as a tribute to Austin, who also helped care for him during his illness. He left her half of his estate in his will, as well as his Garden Lodge mansion in Kensington, West London – which she put on the market last year for £30million. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: What happens to a tribute act when a pop icon dies? MORE: The Who re-hire drummer Zak Starkey after issuing statement on 'personal issues' MORE: Inside Chumbawamba's 'working class anthem of the 90s' that sparked political chaos
Perth Now
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Freddie Mercury's sister 'spent £3m buying his belongings'
Freddie Mercury's sister reportedly spent £3 million 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 and 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."
Telegraph
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Freddie Mercury's sister secretly spent £3m on his memorabilia at auction
Freddie Mercury's sister secretly spent £3million to buy his memorabilia in a war with his former girlfriend, according to reports. Kashmira Bulsara, Mercury's 73-year-old younger sister, paid over the odds to keep the Queen singer's belongings in the family at an auction in September 2023, The Sun reported. Mercury's belongings were sold by his former partner, Mary Austin, and auctioned by Sotheby's. The collection included everything from stage costumes to a Scrabble set and the 1941 Wurlitzer jukebox. Ms Bulsara and her son Jamal Zook bid for the items anonymously, as she did not want Ms Austin to know they were keeping the belongings in the family. 'Kashmira was angry and upset to see so many of her beloved brother's possessions become available for anyone to buy,' a source told The Sun. 'So she went for a private viewing, anonymously, with Jamal and her PA before the auction to see which bits she wanted to try to get. Then when it came to auction time, Kashmira's PA went in-person to Sotheby's and was on the phone to Kashmira throughout.' Ms Bulsara purchased a Wurlitzer Model 850 jukebox for £406,400 and a £139,700 waistcoat with portraits of Freddie's six cats etched into the design. Her most expensive purchase was a military-style jacket made for Freddie's 39th birthday, which sold for £457,200. She also bought eight pages of draft lyrics of Queen's 1974 hit Killer Queen for £279,400. 'Kashmira watched online and told her PA how much to bid for each item,' the source said. '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.' They added: '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.' When Mercury died in 1991, he left his West London home, Garden Lodge, and its contents to his closest companion, Ms Austin. Ms Austin made a total of £40 million in 2023 after selling 1,400 items previously owned by Mercury. The sale, titled Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own, was estimated to be £11.3 million, but the final auction surpassed that. Around 140,000 visitors attended a pre-sales exhibition, with 41,800 bids across six sessions and buyers from more than 50 different countries. Ms Austin donated some of the proceeds to the Mercury Phoenix Trust – an Aids charity set up by Freddie's Queen bandmates and their manager Jim Beach – and the Elton John Aids Foundation. Sotheby's recreated rooms from the Queen star's west London home, Garden Lodge, in its Bond Street salerooms. The singer shared the house with his beloved cats and the lots included a surprising number of cat-related items, from ornaments, books and paintings, to an issue of Catmopolitan magazine. Mercury dated Ms Austin from 1969 until the late 1970s and wrote Queen's 1975 song Love Of My Life as a tribute to her. Their relationship ended after the Queen singer came out as gay, but they remained close friends until his death.
