Freddie Mercury was of Parsi descent. Freddie Mercury was a Panchgani boy. Freddie Mercury had piranha-like buck teeth (which he hated). Freddie Mercury had a set of pipes with a four-octave range. Freddie Mercury was a pop icon. Freddie Mercury was a prancing rock star. Freddie Mercury was a preening crowd-puller. Freddie Mercury had a stage presence matched by no one else. Freddie Mercury played the piano like a wizard. Freddie Mercury could pen songs that ranged from the boppy, dance track 'Another one Bites the Dust' to the cerebral 'We are the Champions' to the parody, 'Death on Two Legs'.

As singers go, Ian Gillan has a more muscular scream. Robert Plant has that incredible falsetto. But, in my book, Freddie Mercury had the most versatility. Biographer David Bret described his voice as "escalating within a few bars from a deep, throaty rock-growl to a tender, vibrant tenor, then on to a high-pitched, perfect coloratura, pure and crystalline in the upper reaches".