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Flashback Friday: Inside Freddie Mercury's last few days with partner Jim Hutton before his death
While Mary Austin forever remained his eternal muse, the late Queen lead vocalist Freddie Mercury fell deeply in love with Jim Hutton and the couple was together until the singer's final few days.
Considered as one of the greatest musicians of all time, Freddie Mercury, along with Queen, became a global phenomenon whose music had such a cultural impact that it remains relevant even decades later! But, it's not just the music that made Freddie such an iconic personality! It was the curiousity behind the man himself that attracted fans. Many were deeply invested in knowing about Freddie's personal life as the late singer was extremely privy about the same. Specifically, it was his sexuality that people were more concerned about.
While Mary Austin would forever be the love of Freddie's life, in 1985, a chance encounter with a gentleman named Jim Hutton at a London gay club named Heaven changed Mercury's life forever. While initially, Jim said no to the singer's advances, fate had another thing calling as the two met at the same club 18 months later and eventually fell in love, via All Things Interesting (Jim Hutton's biography on his life with Freddie Mercury - Mercury and Me). Within a year itself, Jim moved in with Freddie to his London home, Garden Lodge.
However, their love had to face certain trials and tribulations as Jim caught Freddie with several men at Heaven with Mercury's defense being that he was trying to make his partner jealous. Hutton was having none of that and gave an ultimatum to make up his mind on their relationship. Eventually, Mercury said, "Ok," as his thought process was to be secure with someone who was down to earth and not impressed by who Freddie was!
While Freddie was known for his flamboyant personality on stage, his home life with Jim was much more mundane where the couple would just lie together on the sofa and Mercury would massage Hutton's leg asking about his day. While Freddie never publicly addressed his sexuality, the couple did wear wedding rings as a symbol of their commitment to one another.
As their love blossomed into domestic bliss, 1987 saw a devastating moment when Freddie was diagnosed with AIDS. Mercury had given Hutton the leeway to leave him if need be but Jim stayed put stating that he was in for the long haul.
Jim was by Freddie's side throughout all those painful days and helped nurse the singer through private treatments. However, at the time, the fight against AIDS was at its infancy and hence Freddie slowly started deteriorating away, no matter how much he tried to battle through.
According to Jim, Freddie started sensing that his death was inching closer and he himself decided to come off his AIDS medication, three weeks before his death. The couple's last real conversation took place a few days before Mercury passed away. Freddie wanted to leave his bed and look at his paintings so Hutton assisted him downstair and then brought him back to bed. "I never realised you were as strong as you are," Mercury had said which marked their last real conversation.
Owing to bronchial pneumonia as a complication of AIDS, Freddie breathed his last on November 24, 1991. The Bohemian Rhapsody singer was 45 at the time. It was only a day before his death that Mercury had confirmed via a statement by his manager that he was diagnosed with AIDS. Hutton stressed on the fact that Freddie always wanted to keep his personal life private and how it was just his business, and no one else's.
Post his death, Freddie left £500,000 in Jim's name while Garden Lodge was given to Mary. Austin gave Jim three months to clear out and Hutton went back to Ireland. Jim too was diagnosed with HIV in 1990 and passed away in 2010, owing to cancer. Hutton was 61 at the time.
