Mary Austin(II)
Mary Austin was a woman who was the love and inspiration of one of
Great Britain's biggest celebrities. But she never tried to use that
for her own personal gain or to take advantage of others. She grew up
in a struggling working-class home in West London, where her father
worked as a hand-trimmer for a wallpaper specialist and her mother was
a maid. Under such circumstances, she had to grow up quickly. She
dropped out of school at the age of 15 and became a receptionist,
making a modest income. She moved up some shortly afterwords, when she
got a job at Biba. This was a very fashionable place, and the customers
included some of the biggest celebrities of the time. She enjoyed it
all. Then one night, she attended a rock concert at a nearby college.
While there, she ran into a friendly acquaintance who worked nearby,
Brian May. They hit it off and they
began dating. The relationship was fun, but it never got serious and
they broke up on friendly terms. May was a musician and was starting a
band with some talented friends, and one day he introduced her to the
band. Brian wanted to name the band Build Your Own Boat, which Mary
supported. However, the majority of the band chose the name Queen.
Though she wasn't aware of it at the time, she attracted the
infatuation of the group's lead singer, a co-worker of May's who called
himself Freddie Mercury. Mercury soon
frequented the store she worked at and they became increasingly
friendly. Six months later, he surprised her by asking her out on a
date, which she accepted after some hesitation. Both were financially
strapped, so they had to do things together that didn't involve
spending money. He was a flamboyant person in public, which she found
intimidating, being a shy and unassuming person, herself. However, she
eventually got to see the side of himself that he didn't show others, a
serious and quiet person who was mistrustful of others. They grew close
and moved in together in 1973. Money was tight, but his band began to
get some gigs and they were able to move into a larger apartment. On
one occasions, he took her to a showcase at Eating College of Art. Mary
was highly impressed by the quality of her work. So was everyone else
there, and she knew then that he would go on to celebrity. Feeling
completely out of her element and ill-equipped for that rarefied world,
she decided to end the relationship, but Mercury refused to let her go
and pleased that they were meant for each other. Reluctantly, she
agreed to stay, but didn't think he would stay interested in her.
Mercury's band Queen quickly took off and became one of the most
popular bands, and Mercury had a presence on stage that commanded
attention. Mercury wrote a few songs about her, most notably "Love Of
My Life." However, he and Mary were beginning to grow apart and she
suspected that something was now missing from the relationship. In
1980, he revealed to her that he had been increasingly unfaithful to
her and that his partners were of his own gender. Being rather naive,
she was astonished by that aspect of it, though she had long suspected
that he had been unfaithful. Shorty afterwords, she decided to move out
and get her own place. However, although the break-up was hurtful, she
wasn't angry or bitter, and she took an apartment that was near their
own place, and they remained close. He hired her to be the secretary to
the the band's publishing business, and she often toured with them,
getting to see places and people she never imagined she'd see. She
enjoyed it all, but never sought to cash in on it. She also began to
have a life of her own outside the band, which Mercury wholeheartedly
supported. It all came crashing down for her in 1987, when he revealed
to her that he had tested positive for the HIV virus. She was the first
person he told, and she never repeated it to anyone through the
remainder of his life. One of Mercury's top priorities was making sure
that Mary was financially secure, but she was interested in making sure
he take care of his health. Mercury continued to perform off and on,
but rumors about his health increased in the tabloid press. Finally in
1991, his health deteriorated and he passed away near the end of that
year at the age of 45. In the settling of his estate, Mary was left
with the majority of his vast fortune, more than she had expected.
Including that was his palatial mansion, which she agreed to move in
to. That turned out to be more complicated than expected, as the
mansion had a large staff and the settling of Mercury's estate took
several months. After a period of mourning, Mary got on with her life
and married. She also started a foundation in Mercury's memory, and
also continues to support Queen's musical efforts. She continues to
live quietly in the mansion, but occasionally grants interviews.
