<p>On the 28th anniversary of Queen legend Freddie Mercury's passing, here are some lesser-known facts about the singer.</p>.<p><br /><strong>1.</strong> Freddie Mercury was born as Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946 -- the name he went by until the 70s.</p>.<p><br /><strong>2.</strong> His parents were Parsis hailing from Gujarat, Bombay Province (British India). Religiously, they followed Zoroastrianism.</p>.<p><br /><strong>3.</strong> At the age of 8, he was sent to St. Peters boarding school in Panchgani, Maharashtra. He formed a school band called The Hectics at age 12, covering artists like Cliff Richards.</p>.<p><br /><strong>4.</strong> Before taking the world by storm with his high-octave vocals, Mercury was working at Heathrow Airport as a baggage handler. </p>.<p><br /><strong>5.</strong> Aretha Franklin and Jimi Hendrix were Mercury's favourite artists.</p>.<p><br /><strong>6.</strong> He was the one who designed the Queen logo that included the zodiac signs of all band members (Leos, Virgo, Cancer).</p>.<p><br /><strong>7.</strong> Before he christened his legendary rock band 'Queen', it was known as 'Smile'.</p>.<p><br /><strong>8.</strong> He had collaborated with Michael Jackson, but their work could not be completed because of a llama named Louie. Jackson brought his llama to the recording studio all the time, something Mercury was not a fan of.</p>.<p><br /><strong>9.</strong> Mercury was suffering from AIDS, and he confirmed the same on the day before his passing.</p>.<p><br /><strong>10.</strong> The Bohemian Rhapsody singer was a cat person and reportedly had 10 cats. He even made a song after his calico cat 'Delilah'.</p>
<p>On the 28th anniversary of Queen legend Freddie Mercury's passing, here are some lesser-known facts about the singer.</p>.<p><br /><strong>1.</strong> Freddie Mercury was born as Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946 -- the name he went by until the 70s.</p>.<p><br /><strong>2.</strong> His parents were Parsis hailing from Gujarat, Bombay Province (British India). Religiously, they followed Zoroastrianism.</p>.<p><br /><strong>3.</strong> At the age of 8, he was sent to St. Peters boarding school in Panchgani, Maharashtra. He formed a school band called The Hectics at age 12, covering artists like Cliff Richards.</p>.<p><br /><strong>4.</strong> Before taking the world by storm with his high-octave vocals, Mercury was working at Heathrow Airport as a baggage handler. </p>.<p><br /><strong>5.</strong> Aretha Franklin and Jimi Hendrix were Mercury's favourite artists.</p>.<p><br /><strong>6.</strong> He was the one who designed the Queen logo that included the zodiac signs of all band members (Leos, Virgo, Cancer).</p>.<p><br /><strong>7.</strong> Before he christened his legendary rock band 'Queen', it was known as 'Smile'.</p>.<p><br /><strong>8.</strong> He had collaborated with Michael Jackson, but their work could not be completed because of a llama named Louie. Jackson brought his llama to the recording studio all the time, something Mercury was not a fan of.</p>.<p><br /><strong>9.</strong> Mercury was suffering from AIDS, and he confirmed the same on the day before his passing.</p>.<p><br /><strong>10.</strong> The Bohemian Rhapsody singer was a cat person and reportedly had 10 cats. He even made a song after his calico cat 'Delilah'.</p>