Random Thing We Know About Freddie Mercury’s Last Relationship (12 items)

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  (#1) When Mercury First Asked Hutton Out, Hutton Said 'No'

  When Jim Hutton, an Irish hairdresser, and Freddie Mercury first met, it was anything but love at first sight. Mercury approached Hutton at a gay club in London in 1983, but Hutton didn't know who Mercury was. According to Hutton, who was dating a man named John Anderson at the time, Mercury wasn't his type so he turned the singer down for a drink. Mercury persisted, asking him about the size of his male anatomy. Hutton responded by telling him to "f*ck off."

  Hutton remained in a relationship with John Anderson until the spring of 1984. He saw Mercury out at one point while eating dinner with Anderson, but there was no real contact between Hutton and Mercury. Hutton and Mercury crossed paths again at Heaven, a London night club, where the singer again offered Hutton a drink. He accepted this time, and joined Mercury's group of friends for dancing and drinking into the morning hours. 
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  (#2) Mercury And Hutton Used To Rub Each Other's Feet

  Hutton recalled some of the quiet moments he and Mercury shared together. Hutton and Mercury would watch television or watch old movies, sitting side by side or laying in opposite directions next to each other while Hutton rubbed Mercury's feet. Hutton continued working as a hairdresser at The Savoy Hotel in London for a time. He remembered how much Mercury "loved his cats," saying, "I’d get in from work. We’d lie together on the sofa. He would massage my feet and ask about my day." 

  After Mercury passed, Hutton explained to a reporter that the couple was content in their private domesticity. According to Hutton, "He might have worried about how coming out would have affected him professionally but he didn't say that. We both thought our relationship, and being gay, was our business."
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  (#3) Hutton Claims He Was Thrown Out Of Mercury's Home After The Singer Passed

  According to observers, there was growing tension between Mary Austin, Mercury's common-law wife, and Jim Hutton as Mercury's health faded. At one point, Mary suggested that Mercury remove the wedding ring he wore as a symbol of his union with Hutton. She claimed it would cause discomfort if his hand swelled. Moments like this foreshadowed the rift between Austin and Hutton that fully formed after Mercury's passing.

  In his will, Mercury left Mary Austin half his fortune, as well as his home, Garden Lodge, and all of its contents. His parents and sister received the other half of his wealth. His live-in staff and friends, Jim Fanelli, Peter Freestone, and Jim Hutton, all got £500,000. Hutton claimed he was evicted from Garden Lodge, despite Mercury's wishes that he stay. Fights ensued and many of the couple's friends refused to believe Mercury would have wanted Hutton ousted. Hutton left Garden Lodge in March 1992.
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  (#4) Hutton Had To Pretend To Be The Gardener When Mercury Had Visitors

  At times, Hutton's exact place in Mercury's life was difficult to understand. After months of dating, Hutton moved into Mercury's Kensington mansion, Garden Lodge, but was introduced as the gardener. When Hutton first met Mercury's parents, Bomi and Jer, in 1988, it was under this pretense. If anyone asked, Jim slept in his own bedroom and there was no mention of a relationship.

  Hutton was in a precarious position as an employee of Mercury who was also sleeping with him. His circumstances were made more awkward by the fact that he was paid for his work through Mercury's companion, former fiancée, and Queen organization associate, Mary Austin. 
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  (#5) Mercury Treated Hutton Like A Husband But He Also Had A Common-Law Wife

  Freddie Mercury was open about the fact that he never loved any of his partners the way he loved Mary Austin, even Jim Hutton. Mercury said, "All my lovers asked me why they couldn't replace Mary, but it's simply impossible... I couldn't fall in love with a man the same way as I did with Mary."

  This didn't stop Mercury from referring to Jim Hutton as his husband. Mercury once told a German reporter, "Piaf did it, so did Streisand. Now I have a hairdresser husband!" The men wore rings to symbolize their love and devotion to one another. 
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  (#6) During Mercury's Final Days, Hutton Attended To His Lover And Friend

  As Mercury's health declined in 1991, Hutton and Mercury's other live-in friends, Peter Freestone and Jim Fanelli, would take turns tending to the ailing star. Hutton protected Mercury on one occasion, threatening to beat up a reporter who got too close to Garden Lodge. Hutton also kept his emotions to himself, claiming, "I often used to cry on my own, but I made sure Freddie never saw me upset." He added, "Throughout the day, for him I'd be strong, but his dying face haunts my nights, and I'd always end up crying myself to sleep." 

  On of one of Mercury's last days, Hutton offered to carry Mercury down the stairs so he could look at his elaborate collection of paintings. Mercury made his way down the stairs on his own, with Hutton close by to prevent him from falling. When Mercury glimpsed the works of art, he simply stated, "Oh, they're wonderful."
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  (#7) Mercury Kept Tabs On Hutton Before They Started Dating

  After being rejected by Hutton, Freddie Mercury supposedly did his best to keep track of where the mustached Irishman spent his time. According to Hutton, Mercury was working in Germany for most of 1984, but when he would return to London, he'd frequent the gay club, Heaven. On his way to the club, Mercury would have his driver take a detour by the Market Tavern, where Hutton spent his much of his free time, to see if he was there. 

  Hutton wasn't a fan of Heaven - he called it "impersonal." However, on March 23, 1985, he decided to party at the popular club. When he went to the bar to get a drink, he was once again approached by Mercury. The singer offered to buy him a drink, but Hutton ended up buying Mercury one instead. 
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  (#8) Hutton's First Concert Experience Was At Live Aid In 1985

  Jim Hutton witnessed some of the most significant events in Freddie Mercury's life, including Queen's performance at Live Aid in 1985. Hutton had never been to a concert before and, unaware of this, Mercury invited him along to Wembley in 1985. Once there, Hutton walked Mercury to the stage and gave him a kiss for luck.  

  After the show, they went home like an "old married couple." But Hutton said, "I was gobsmacked. You could feel the effect his stage presence had on the crowd... afterwards Elton [John] came and said, 'Bastard, you’ve stolen it.'"

  Hutton watched the Live Aid performance from backstage, which was characteristic of his preferred role in Mercury's rock 'n' roll lifestyle. Hutton stayed away from the cameras, and was often replaced by Mary Austin when the media came calling.
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  (#9) After Their First Night Together, Mercury Didn't Call Hutton For Three Months

  Mercury and Hutton's first night together, full of drinking and dancing at Heaven in London, ended at the singer's home in Kensington. They flirted with each other all night and ended up in bed, but were both too inebriated to do anything more than cuddle. The next day, Mercury made Hutton tea and the men exchanged phone numbers. Hutton didn't hear from Mercury for three months, when the singer called to invite him to a dinner party.

  Hutton bought flowers to take with him to the party but threw them away before he got there, embarrassed by his own romantic gesture. The dinner party included several of Mercury's friends and staff members, including Peter Freestone (Mercury's assistant), Paul Prenter (Mercury's personal manager), and Joe Fanelli (Mercury's chef), who all asked probing questions to try to find out more about Hutton. Hutton was apprehensive and intentionally evasive, but his chemistry with Mercury was undeniable. Mercury explained that he hadn't called sooner because he had been in Germany working and had been on tour. 
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  (#10) Mercury Offered Hutton An 'Out' After He Was Diagnosed With AIDS

  In late 1986 and early 1987, London tabloids ran stories that two of Freddie Mercury's former lovers had succumbed to AIDS. Rumors about the singer's own health swirled and it is generally accepted that Mercury received a diagnosis of either HIV or AIDS around the same time. Freddie told his live-in assistants and friends, Peter Freestone and Joe Fanelli, as well as his companion Jim Hutton.

  All of the men were sworn to secrecy and, according to Hutton, Mercury told him he understood if he wanted to leave.  Hutton told him, "Don't be stupid. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for the long haul."
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  (#11) Hutton Also Contracted HIV And Died Of Cancer In 2010

  Jim Hutton returned to Ireland in the 1990s. He surrounded himself with cats and dogs, gardened, and lived a quiet life. He spent time with his family and occasionally worked odd jobs to make ends meet. 

  Jim Hutton succumbed to lung cancer in 2010. Despite assertions that his passing was due to complications from HIV, a disease that Hutton, too, had contracted, he passed away from cancer on New Years Day 2010.

  Hutton wrote an account of his life with Mercury, a memoir entitled Mercury and Me, to share his own experiences with Mercury. 
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  (#12) Mercury Did His Best To Stay Faithful To Hutton

  After meeting Jim Hutton, Freddie Mercury cut back on his clubbing and partying in an effort to stay faithful to his lover.  It upset Hutton to see Mercury with other men and it caused tension in their relationship.

  Hutton recalled, "I saw with another guy in Heaven and we had a huge row. He told me he did it to make me jealous... then one day I saw him leaving his Kensington flat with another guy and we had an argument. I told him he had to make his mind up.”

   

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