Handwritten Queen lyrics by Freddie Mercury sold at auction for £90,000

ITV Granada Reports journalist Paul Crone watched as the lyrics were sold for tens of thousands of pounds.

A sheet of lyrics handwritten by the late British rock superstar Freddie Mercury has sold at auction for £90,000.

The single piece of A4 paper, with the words to 'Who Wants to Live Forever' on one side, and 'A Kind of Magic' on the other, went under the hammer at Omega Auctions in Newton-le-Willows on Tuesday, 26 November.

One side of the lyrics sheet had been on display in Queen Studio Experience museum, in Montreux, Switzerland, since it opened in 2013 but, incredibly, nobody had ever seen the lyrics on the reverse side until now.

The extremely rare piece of pop history was handwritten by the legendary singer-songwriter when recording the iconic tracks in Mountain Studios, during late 1985 and January 1986.

Mercury died at the age of 45 on 24 November 1991 shortly after he revealed to the public that he had been diagnosed with HIV and aids.

Both tracks are from the LP ‘A Kind of Magic’ and were featured in the classic Christopher Lambert film Highlander, achieving worldwide success.

"Handwritten lyrics are the pinnacle for fans and collectors", said auctioneer Dan Muscatelli-Hampson. "Songs that are cult classics and fan favourites, they are the best of the best."

'A Kind of Magic' was written by Queen's drummer Roger Taylor, and 'Who Wants to Live Forever' was written by lead guitarist Brian May.

Paul Fairweather, the auctioneer selling the lyrics, simply said: "It really doesn't get any better than this."

Also up for sale in the auction are a hat owned and worn by David Bowie, and a Live Aid original programme signed by artists who appeared at the event on 13 July 1985.

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