On This Day, Feb. 18, 1990: Queen’s Freddie Mercury makes his final onstage appearance at the BRIT Awards

On This Day, Feb. 18, 1990…

Queen frontman Freddie Mercury joined his bandmates at the BRIT Awards in London to accept the award for outstanding contribution to British music.

It would wind up being Mercury’s last onstage appearance.

Mercury had been privately battling AIDS, and would later make his final on screen appearance in the video for “These Are the Days of Our Lives,” which was filmed in May of 1991.

In November of that year the rocker released a statement confirming the long held rumors that he had tested positive for HIV and had AIDs. He passed away the day after issuing the statement at the age of 45.

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