Freddie Mercury biography to mark anniversary of singer's death

Blink Publishing has signed a Freddie Mercury biography to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the singer's death this November.

Somebody to Love: The Life, Death & Legacy of Freddie Mercury will reveal "new and previously undocumented personal accounts and anecdotes" from Mercury's close friends and fellow musicians, as well as new unseen photographs, according to the publisher.

It promises to be both a "tribute" to Mercury as well as a "shocking, moving and honest depiction" of his legacy.

The book's authors are Matt Richards, an award-winning film director, television producer and screenwriter, and Mark Langthorne, whose work in the music industry has included managing stars such as Kanye West.  They are also the co-authors of 83 Minutes: The Doctor, The Damage and The Shocking Death of Michael Jackson (Blink). 

In a statement, they said: "We took a fresh look at both Mercury’s and Queen's rise then fall then rise again in musical history, whilst weaving in the tragic origins and trajectory of AIDS and the HIV virus with the tragedy of Freddie Mercury's death from the disease. It’s a tribute to an incredible man and shows both sides to him: public and private.”

Blink secured World English language rights directly from the authors, and commissioned the cover artwork from Inkquisitive, an artist with over 350,000 followers on Twitter. 

Somebody to Love: The Life, Death & Legacy of Freddie Mercury will be published in hardback on 3rd November, priced £20.