DAVE CLARK

"That was the kind, caring and generous one. In private Freddie was very different from the outrageous performer you saw onstage. He was so thoughtful. When we were recording in the Abbey Road studio he used to bring in a big hamper packed full with exotic food including caviar, salmon, different cheeses and his favourite Cristal champagne. In private he really was a lovely and caring man. And his generosity went far beyond his closest friends and fellow workers. Total strangers regularly benefited from his kindness.
If something came up on TV about someone in financial trouble he would send off a cheque anonymously through one of his companies. I remember him sending a cheque off a couple who were out of work and whose house had been repossessed. He did things like that so many times. He would see something on the news or be told about someone's hardship and immediately reach for a chequebook. He liked real people. He may have been larger than life and one of the world's best performers when he was on stage but in private he was very, very human. It's the old story of the comedian who makes everybody laugh on stage, but off stage has a lot of sadness and sensitivity. You must never believe or be taken by the image.
He was like a very rare painting. There will never be another Freddie."

Dave Clark
© 'The Show Must Go On'
Rick Sky

This page is dedicated to the Immortal Soul of
Freddie Mercury
whose memory will live in my heart forever