Freddie Mercury's leather hotpants to go up for auction

4 April 2023, 11:36 | Updated: 12 April 2023, 11:38

Freddie Mercury performing in LA in 1980 — Freddie Mercury's iconic shorts are going up for auction. Picture: Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

By Jenny Mensah

The iconic Queen frontman's shorts are going under the hammer this month and are estimated to fetch up to £12,000.

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Freddie Mercury's "daring" leather hotpants are set to go up for auction this month.

The late Queen frontman, who died aged 45 in 1991 from AIDS-related complications, wore the skin-tight black leather pants during the encore of the band's gig in Birmingham in December 1980.

Fans now have a chance to own the garment, which will go under the hammer at Omega Auctions in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, on 25th April 2023 from 9am.

Jacky Gunn, the head of the Queen Fan Club, said of the risqué garment in Queen’s official biography Queen: As it Began: "Freddie decided to try to shock the audience with his stage outfit for the encore: the shortest, tightest pair of black leather shorts he could find - they didn't leave much to the imagination, but no one complained..."

The iconic shorts are expected to fetch up to five figures, with an estimate of £8,000 - £12,000 provided with the description.

The garment- which was purchased by the seller in 1993 at a Queen Fan Club Auction in Southport - also comes alongside the original signed letter of authenticity from fan club secretary Jacky Gunn.

Meanwhile, Brian May has talked about the possibility of a Bohemian Rhapsody sequel.

The 2018 film starring Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury became the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time and took home four Oscars, including the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Now, the legendary guitarist has teased there have been discussions about a second film, which would pick up from where the last season dropped off.

He told the Daily Star: "We've been talking about it. I felt proud of it and the people who played us were just phenomenal.

"It's so tempting to do the sequel - it would be worth it just to work with those boys again."

The Will We Rock You Star added: "Bohemian Rhapsody climaxed in Live Aid and I suppose implicitly Freddie starting to deal with his AIDS, but an awful lot happened between the end of the film to the end of the glory days of Queen.

"I loved the fact we were able to do it for Freddie. That really means a lot and I felt we did it in the right way, and in the right spirit. Of course we were represented in the movie because we were a group, but it was really all about Freddie, and I think we did him good."