Comprised of vocalist Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, and bassist John Deacon, the heavy metal group Queen was formed in 1971. With their 1973 self-titled debut album, Queen quickly became known for its combination of flamboyant musical technique and campy glam-rock visual impact. The band's biggest hit "Bohemian Rhapsody", penned by Mercury and released in 1975 from the album A Night at the Opera, put them on the top of the charts and created international sell-out crowds.

Among their noteworthy albums, the band released 1979's Live Killers, which included the hit songs "Killer Queen," "Somebody to Love," "We Are the Champions," "Don't Stop Me Now," and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." The band's greatest songs influenced legions of would-be arena rockers, including News of the World's "We Will Rock You" (1977)and 1980's instant classic "Another One Bites the Dust," featured on Queen's bestselling album to date, The Game.

Still appearing regularly, the group remained popular throughout the '80s and early '90s. In 1985 they performed at Live Aid, a benefit concert established by rock musician Bob Geldof to provide famine relief in Ethiopia. On November 23, 1991, Mercury publicly announced that he had AIDS.