From 1988 through 1991, there were media rumors that Freddie Mercury had AIDS, but these were denied until, on November 23rd, 1991, he released the following statement:

"Following enormous conjecture in the press, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private in order to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has now come for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth, and I hope everyone will join me, my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease."

Freddie Mercury died the day after releasing this statement.

On April 20, 1992, as a tribute to Mercury, the surviving members of Queen threw a massive concert before a crowd of 72,000 at London's Wembley Stadium. Billed as the "Freddy Mercury Aids Benefit", the event sold out in two hours and attracted the largest-ever worldwide viewing audience when televised live. Proceeds went to The Mercury Phoenix Trust, an AIDS benefit group.

The line-up featured some of the biggest acts in music. Some of the many artists who sang a Queen song included: Metallica, Extreme, Def Leppard, Guns n' Roses. Elton John, Roger Daltry, Robert Plant, David Bowie, Annie Lennox, George Michael, Axl Rose, Seal, Lisa Stansfield and Liza Minelli. The ex-members of Queen, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, and Brian May also performed. Elizabeth Taylor gave a speech. A live satellite link to California showed a performance by U2, and a satellite link to South Africa showed a performance by Mango Groove.

The concert fueled speculation that Queen might be looking for an ad-hoc Mercury replacement for future touring and recording. With the surviving members of Queen onstage as backup band, it was hard to resist the temptation to judge the different singers on their ability to cover Queen’s material. I found myself thinking of the show as not just a Mercury tribute, but also as Queen’s own secret celebrity cattle-call audition.

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