Connect with us

Published

on

Freddie Mercury’s handwritten drafts for Queen’s legendary hit Bohemian Rhapsody have sold at auction for more than £1.3m.

Written on paper for the now-defunct airline British Midland, the 15-page manuscript shows the different directions the singer considered for the band’s six-minute epic.

It features the song’s timeless lyric “nothing really matters” and shows how the star considered naming the song “Mongolian Rhapsody” – before crossing out “Mongolian” in favour of “Bohemian”.

The notes were one of the star items among a treasure trove of the Queen frontman’s most prized possessions, which were put up for sale with the luxury auctioneer Sotheby’s.

Mercury’s Yamaha baby grand piano – used to compose some of the group’s most iconic hits – was sold at the same auction for £1.7m.

Freddie Mercury's Yamaha Grand Piano, estimated at 2-3 million pounds, on display at Sotheby's auction rooms in London, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. More than 1,000 of Freddie Mercury's personal items, including his flamboyant stage costumes, handwritten drafts of ...Bohemian Rhapsody... and the baby grand piano he used to compose Queen's greatest hits, are going on show in an exhibition at Sotheby's London ahead of their sale. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Image:
Freddie Mercury’s Yamaha grand piano. Pic: AP

A Victorian-style snake bangle famously worn by Mercury in the video for Bohemian Rhapsody sold for £698,500 – the highest price ever paid for a piece of jewellery owned by a rock star.

It beat the £295,000 ($368,000) paid for a leather and bead talisman worn by Beatles star John Lennon.

The items were put up for auction by Mercury’s close friend, Mary Austin.

A Victorian-style silver snake bangle Freddie Mercury wore with an ivory satin catsuit in the "Bohemian Rhapsody" video has sold for the highest price ever paid for a piece of jewelry owned by a rock star.
Pic: Sotherbys
Image:
A Victorian-style silver snake bangle worn by Freddie Mercury. Pic: Sotheby’s

Read more:
Cigar smoked by Sir Winston Churchill up for auction
Alec Baldwin given new ‘quality of life’ after suffering ‘intense chronic pain’

The singer left her his Kensington home and all the possessions inside when he died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991, at the age of 45.

A total of 1,400 items are being auctioned – including a green door covered in hand-painted love notes from fans which sold for £412,750 ($521,000).

A Sotheby's handler displays a 'Rainbow Coloured Satin Arrow Applique Jacket from 1982' at Sotheby's auction rooms in London, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. More than 1,000 of Freddie Mercury's personal items, including his flamboyant stage costumes, handwritten drafts of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the baby grand piano he used to compose Queen's greatest hits, are going on show in an exhibition at Sotheby's London ahead of their sale. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Image:
Freddie Mercury’s rainbow coloured satin arrow applique jacket from 1982. Pic: AP

Freddie Mercury's signature crown worn throughout the 'Magic' Tour, on display at Sotheby's auction rooms in London, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. More than 1,000 of Freddie Mercury's personal items, including his flamboyant stage costumes, handwritten drafts of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the baby grand piano he used to compose Queen's greatest hits, are going on show in an exhibition at Sotheby's London ahead of their sale. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Image:
Mercury’s signature crown worn throughout the Magic tour. Pic: AP

Other items to go under the hammer include the star’s flamboyant stage costumes and handwritten drafts of hits such as We Are The Champions.

Some of the proceeds of the auction – which is expected to bring in around £6m in total – will be donated to charity.

All the proceeds of the sale of a Cartier onyx and diamond ring given to Mercury by Elton John that sold for £273,000 ($344,000) will be donated to the Rocket Man singer’s AIDS charity.

PRODUCTION - 03 August 2023, Great Britain, London: The entrance at Sotheby's auction house in London is decorated with a giant mustache - in reference to the British rock singer Freddie Mercury. The exhibition "Freddie Mercury - A World Of His Own" in London provides insights into the private life and musical career of the Queen frontman. Pic: AP
Image:
The entrance at Sotheby’s auction house hosted “Freddie Mercury – A World Of His Own”

The items in the auction were put on display in Sotheby’s galleries ahead of the auction to create a free museum-esque exhibit – named Freddie Mercury: A World Of His Own.

The display attracted more than 140,000 visitors in just over a month.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Oasis gig death: Witness saw similar incident and asks ‘were lessons learned’?

Published

on

By

Oasis gig death: Witness saw similar incident and asks 'were lessons learned'?

A woman who saw a man falling from an upper tier at Wembley Stadium says a similar incident at an Oasis concert over the weekend in which a fan died makes her wonder whether lessons have been learned.

Stephanie Good, 39, said a man fell during a Euro 2020 match between England and Croatia at Wembley in June 2021.

He landed “right next to where we were” on the “stairwell between rows of seats”, she said.

Named as Jon, he reportedly survived but suffered two broken ankles, a fractured femur and fractured pelvis just before kick-off.

Ms Good said she tried to give feedback but was unable to and felt the “emergency response was really lacking”.

Oasis, meanwhile, said they were “shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of a fan” at their Wembley concert on Saturday.

The man reportedly fell from the stadium’s upper tier.

In his 40s, he was found with “injuries consistent with a fall” and pronounced dead at the scene, the Met Police said.

Ms Good, an NHS manager from east London, said what happened at the Oasis gig was “so similar” to what she witnessed that it made her wonder “were lessons learned”?

Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage for the first Wembley night of the Oasis reunion tour. Pic: Lewis Evans
Image:
Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage for the first Wembley night of the Oasis reunion tour. Pic: Lewis Evans

During that incident, among stadium staff “nobody seemed to know what to do”, she told the Press Association.

She thinks the man may have been trying to attach a flag to the front of a stand and “somehow managed to fall straight over”.

She said: “They (staff) didn’t seem well-trained in terms of how to respond to a really big emergency.

“Their stewards were kind of paralysed a little bit by fear, or they just weren’t well trained and didn’t know how to call for paramedics.

“It was us who were sort of shouting at them that they needed to get some paramedics.

“The first person on the scene wasn’t a stadium paramedic or St John Ambulance. It was an off-duty firefighter who had seen the guy fall and ran down to just try and offer some help.”

Read more:
Tommy Robinson bailed after arrest over alleged assault
Police should be ‘more transparent’ over suspects, home sec says

Regarding the follow-up, Ms Good said staff moved spectators to other seats but did not ask for witness statements.

She added: “They didn’t seek any input from people who’d seen the incident or the aftermath of it. They didn’t seem interested in speaking to anybody about it.

“I was a bit concerned, because I felt that the emergency response was really lacking.”

She then tried to get in touch to give feedback, but was unable to do so and did not receive a response to a message on social media, she said.

A Wembley spokesperson said: “Wembley Stadium operates to a very high health and safety standard, fully meeting legal requirements for the safety of spectators and staff, and is certified to and compliant with the ISO 45001 standard.

“We work very closely and collaboratively with all relevant event delivery stakeholders – including event owners, local authorities, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and the police – to deliver events to high standards of safety, security and service for everyone attending or working in the venue.”

Continue Reading

Entertainment

TV presenter Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape 

Published

on

By

TV presenter Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape 

TV presenter Jay Blades has been charged with two counts of rape, police have confirmed.

West Mercia Police said the 55-year-old is due to appear in court next week.

The force said: “Jason Blades, 55, of Claverley in Shropshire, has been charged with two counts of rape.

“He is due to appear at Telford Magistrates’ Court on 13 August 2025.”

Blades found fame on the furniture restoration programme The Repair Shop after he started presenting in 2017.

A furniture restorer, he was the face of the popular BBC show that featured people having their treasured objects repaired and rejuvenated.

Read more:
BBC presenter denies coercive behaviour towards wife
Ex-Arsenal player charged with rape appears in court

Blades was also the presenter of the BBC’s Money For Nothing until 2020 and took part in Celebrity Masterchef, Celebrity Bake Off, and Comic Relief.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail again ahead of sentencing

Published

on

By

Sean 'Diddy' Combs denied bail again ahead of sentencing

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been denied bail ahead of his sentencing on prostitution-related charges.

Judge Arun Subramanian said the hip-hop mogul had failed to show sufficient evidence he is not a flight risk and also cited admissions of previous violence made during his trial.

Combs, 55, has been in prison since his arrest in September last year.

During a two-month trial, jurors heard allegations that he had coerced former girlfriends, including singer and model Cassie Ventura, into having drug-fuelled sex marathons with male sex workers, while he watched and filmed them.

Sean "Diddy" Combs reacts after verdicts are read of the five counts against him, during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New
Image:
Diddy fell to his knees after the verdict was delivered last month. Pic: Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg

In July, he was found guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution – but cleared of more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking, which carried potential life sentences.

The rapper’s legal team hailed this a “victory” and immediately applied for bail ahead of sentencing, citing his acquittal on the top charges.

After this was denied, they submitted another application last week. Judge Subramanian has now rejected the request again.

In denying the motion for bail, the judge found Combs had failed to show sufficient evidence to counter arguments he is a flight risk, writing in a court filing: “Increasing the amount of the bond or devising additional conditions doesn’t change the calculus given the circumstances and heavy burden of proof that Combs bears.”

Read more:
How the trial unfolded
The rise and fall of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian gives legal instructions to the jury, during Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City
Image:
Judge Arun Subramanian heard Diddy’s trial and will also sentence the rapper

He also found that an argument by the music star’s legal team that the squalor and danger of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), where he is being held, did not warrant release.

“The public outcry concerning these conditions has come from all corners,” the judge wrote. “But as Combs acknowledges, MDC staff has been able to keep him safe and attend to his needs, even during an incident of threatened violence from an inmate.”

As well as Combs’s bail application, his legal team has also filed a motion calling for him to be acquitted or given a new trial on the prostitution-related charges only.

The judge has not yet responded to this application.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

How the Diddy trial unfolded

How long could Diddy be jailed for?

Combs is due to be sentenced on 3 October and could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Discussions on sentencing guidelines which followed the jury’s verdict suggest it is unlikely he will be jailed for this long, with an estimate of around two to five years, taking into account time already served.

However, it is ultimately up to Judge Arun Subramanian to decide the rapper’s punishment.

On Friday, Donald Trump was asked during an interview about a potential pardon for Combs following speculation about the issue.

The president said it was unlikely, adding that the rapper was “very hostile” during his presidential campaign.

Combs, who co-founded Bad Boy Records and launched the career of the late Notorious BIG, was for decades a huge figure in pop culture – a Grammy-winning hip-hop artist and business entrepreneur, who presided over an empire ranging from fashion to reality TV.

As well as the criminal conviction, he is also facing several civil lawsuits.

Continue Reading

Trending