Handwritten Freddie Mercury lyrics could fetch up to £150,000 at auction
The Queen frontman died in 1991 at the age of 45 after a battle with Aids.
Lyrics from a notebook handwritten by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury are expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000 at auction.
The single A4 page contains near-complete lyrics, written in black ink, from Who Wants To Live Forever on one side and A Kind Of Magic on the other, according to Omega Auctions.
Both tracks were released as singles during 1986 – with A Kind Of Magic peaking at number three in the UK singles chart.
The lyrics for Who Wants To Live Forever, composed by Sir Brian May and sung as a duet between himself and Mercury, had previously been on display in the Queen Studio Experience in Montreux, Switzerland, which opened in 2013.
The reverse side of the notebook page that had lyrics for A Kind Of Magic on it was discovered after being taken down from an exhibition cabinet, the auction house said.
The page of writing has been consigned by the estate of David Richards, from the Mountain Studios archive, and the Swiss museum where they were on display.
Omega Auctions auctioneer Paul Fairweather said: “It is a privilege to work with the family to bring this historically important and exciting set of lyrics to auction.
“Freddie’s vocal performance on Who Wants To Live Forever is unforgettable and A Kind Of Magic is an absolute Queen classic.
“We will undoubtedly see a huge response from Queen fans and collectors worldwide.”
He added: “I was with the family when we first turned the lyric page over to discover the complete lyrics for A Kind Of Magic on the reverse.
“It was a magical moment, and one I will never forget.”
Mercury died almost 33 years ago in 1991 at the age of 45 after a battle with Aids.
Last year, a piano used by the singer to compose songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody sold at auction for a record £1.7 million.
The lyrics will be publicly auctioned by music specialists Omega Auctions in its November 26 Showcase sale.
