Freddie Mercury

‘That’s something inbred, it’s a part of me. I will always walk around like a Persian popinjay.’

As he became more famous, his Asian upbringing and heritage faded increasingly into the background. But it was never something he forgot himself, his family say – being Asian was part of his life.

His background made his sense of identity complex. Being a Parsee meant he identified more with his Persian ancestry than India, where his parents were brought up and he was educated. Roger Cooke, his brother in law, said, “To an English mind, Asian means Indian. It doesn’t in Freddie’s particular case, he was Persian by ancestry.’ There were people who said he was burying his Asian roots and he was accused of denying his Indian heritage. I don’t think he ever did, but if he did, it would have been because he was Persian”.

The exhibition would tour the world, visiting numerous relevant cities including Paris, Montreaux, and Mumbai. After the London opening, a number of fellow journalists chose to “out” the Great Pretender for having “hidden his Indian roots.” Under headlines such as “Bombay Rhahapsody” and “Star of India,” Freddie was “exposed” as Britain’s first Asian pop star. Despite the fact that there was less than a sentence of truth in it, the yarn made several sensational page leads. Freddie’s Persian origins were thus disputed. Widespread discussion ensued. This caused offence within London’s Persian Parsee community. Not that Fleet street’s finest gave a toss about that.