The family of Freddie Mercury’s previously undisclosed daughter have confirmed that she has died at the age of 48, following a prolonged battle with chordoma, a rare form of spinal cancer. Her passing comes only months after her existence became public through a controversial new biography of the Queen frontman.
The woman, known privately as “Bibi,” was revealed last summer in the book “Love, Freddie” by music writer Lesley-Ann Jones, who disclosed that Mercury had fathered a child during an affair in 1976 and had kept her existence secret throughout his life.
According to a statement shared with the Daily Mail by Bibi’s husband, Thomas, she died “peacefully after a long battle with chordoma, a rare spinal cancer, leaving two sons aged nine and seven.” He added: “B is now with her beloved and loving father in the world of thoughts. Her ashes were scattered to the wind over the Alps.”
Jones said Mercury referred to his daughter as his “trésor” — French for “treasure” — and his “little froggie,” and maintained a close relationship with her until his death in 1991. She has also stated that Mercury wrote songs inspired by Bibi, including “Bijou” and “Don’t Try So Hard”, and that he gave her 17 volumes of personal journals shortly before he died.
Reflecting on the loss, Jones said:
“I am devastated by the loss of this woman who became my close friend, who had come to me with a selfless aim: to brush aside all those who have had free rein with Freddie‘s story for 32 years, to challenge their lies and their rewriting of his life, and to deliver the truth.”
She continued:
“At the end of her life, it was all that mattered to her. She was very ill throughout the 4 years that we worked together. But she was on a mission. She put herself and her own needs last.”
The book details how Mercury’s daughter grew up away from the public eye, attending Queen concerts in secret and tracking her father’s tours on a globe he gave her. Jones said Bibi’s illness first emerged when she was young, influencing her family’s frequent relocations in pursuit of specialized treatment.
Jones explained:
“Her cancer reared originally when she was very young. It’s the real reason why the family relocated quite frequently, so that they could access the best treatment at the time for chordoma: a rare form of spinal cancer that was always going to kill her.”
“She had been in remission for some years when it reared again. That was when she decided to contact me. She had read my 2021 book about Freddie, ‘Love of My Life.’”
Jones added that Bibi contacted her believing the book came closer to Mercury’s true character than previous portrayals, though she remained critical of Queen’s biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
“She emailed me to say that I had come closer to the real Freddie in that book than any previous writer or film maker — she particularly loathed Queen‘s film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody‘ — but that there were ‘still some things I should know’.”
The two worked together for four years to complete “Love, Freddie,” a process Jones described as a race against time. She recalled a final family trip taken by Bibi before her health declined further:
“Last summer, towards the end of her life, she, her husband and two young children undertook an epic trip of a lifetime to South America.”
“Against the odds, she was able to get to the Inca ruins at Macchu Pichu, her ‘bucketlist’ destination. When they returned at summer’s end, she went straight into a treatment programme of 4 days in hospital for chemo, 3 days at home with her family. Our book was published on 5th September.”
Following publication, the book’s claims were publicly questioned by Mary Austin, Mercury’s longtime companion, who said she would be “astonished” if he had a daughter and denied knowledge of any journals. Jones said Bibi was deeply affected by those denials.
“She was devastated by (Freddie’s girlfriend) Mary Austin’s attempts to deny her existence, and her denunciation of the veracity of the book,” Jones said. “Mary‘s lawyers, Farrer & Co, were heavy-handed in their attempts to prevent publication. They tried everything. They failed.”
“This news is shocking and deeply upsetting to me, but not surprising,” Jones continued. “I had known it was coming all along. It was a race against time. Against the odds, we achieved what at one time seemed impossible… It was the honour of my life to have been chosen by her to share Freddie‘s true story.”
The family, who live in France, are now considering whether to release photographs of Bibi, including images of her with Mercury, as they continue to grieve privately.
