Queen rocker Freddie Mercury loved playing the word game Scrabble.
Queen frontman Freddie Mercury was skilled at Scrabble.
The rocker, who died from bronchial pneumonia caused by AIDS in November 1991 at the age of 45, adored the board game, in which players win points by building intersecting words.
And bandmate Roger Taylor, 77, still enjoys playing Scrabble on his computer as it brings back fond memories of when he and the We Will Rock You hitmaker played it during breaks in the recording studio.
He told Classic Rock magazine: “Fred was very good at it, actually. I always liked a bit of Scrabble. It’s not about words, it’s about points.”
But like Queen guitarist Sir Brian May, 79, drummer Roger is no fan of the idea of retiring.
He said: “Brian will say the same thing. We do it because we love it, and really, this is what we do.
“Also the idea of retirement is horrific.
“I’m just gonna sit here and not do much and rot away till I die? No thanks. I find when you’re working, you get fired up, it gives you a reason to get up, you know?
“Although I got up pretty late today. I don’t do it very quickly these days. It takes a while for an album to assimilate itself.
“But yeah, I’m very pleased to still be doing it.”
In October 2024, Roger said that before Freddie perfected the voice that made him famous, he “sounded like some manic goat”.
The Radio Ga Ga artist told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “I don’t think you realise how dreadful he sounded before.
“I mean, he sounded like some manic goat. He sounded extraordinary, his vibrato.
“My mother’s face when she saw him…”
However, Brian moved to defend Freddie, saying: “He turned out to be our wonderful Freddie whom we will never forget. He became this colossal force who could reach to the back of any gig or a stadium in Argentina. He reached everyone.”
Queen legend Freddie Mercury was a Scrabble ace
