MOSCOW, September 7A draft with the lyrics of the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” by the British band Queen, written by the band's leader Freddie Mercury, was sold at Sotheby's in London for almost 1.4 million pounds sterling, according to the auction website.
According to the lot description, 15 pages of the first version of the song's lyrics with the original title “Mongolian Rhapsody”, which was later crossed out and changed to “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and backing vocals went under the hammer. The draft was sold for 1.379 million pounds, according to the information on the website.
Drafts of several other songs were also sold, including Somebody To Love and Killer Queen, for which auction visitors paid just over £241,000 and £279,000 respectively. A rough copy of We Are The Champions sold for £317,500. Some personal belongings of the legendary performer also went under the hammer: for Mercury's costumes, buyers paid from 38 thousand pounds to 203 thousand pounds, the musician's robe and crown, which he wore to concerts as part of one of his tours, were sold for 635 thousand pounds, and the musician's piano – for more than 1.74 million pounds.
The British rock band Queen achieved widespread fame in the mid-1970s and became one of the most successful bands in the history of rock music, as well as the winner of numerous awards. Its leader Freddie Mercury died in London on November 24, 1991 from pneumonia that developed as a result of HIV infection.
