Photo: JEAN-CLAUDE COUTAUSSE / AFP / Getty Images
Freddie Mercury’s longtime friend and former fiancée Mary Austin is offering fans an intimate look at the Queen frontman’s creative life.
Austin shared personal memories in the new book A Life in Lyrics: The Official Creative Legacy of Freddie Mercury, which dropped Tuesday (Sept. 1). The book explores the stories behind some of Mercury’s biggest songs through handwritten lyrics, sketches, photos and other personal artifacts.
Among the items featured are the legendary musician's early handwritten lyrics and notes showing him working out the iconic opera section of “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 1974.
Austin recalled hearing pieces of the song as Mercury created it before finally experiencing the finished version.
“It was so unlike anything else — you didn’t quite know what you were listening to at first,” she wrote, per PEOPLE. “But it carried you with it.”
The book also offers glimpses into Mercury’s life away from the stage, including his love for his cats, early artwork and playful personality.