As he celebrates his 40th birthday on January 29, glam rock musician Adam Lambert can be very proud of his achievements.
Since finishing as a runner-up on 2009’s American Idol, the flamboyant pop star has won legions of fans and sold millions of albums.
He became the first openly gay artist to reach the top of the US Billboard charts, and since 2011 he’s performed as the front man with Queen, touring around the world with the band.
The band, once fronted by Freddie Mercury, are touring the UK throughout May and June of this year.
Adam is also a judge on the new ITV talent show Starstruck, alongside Sheridan Smith and Jason Manford, which launches in February.
He has since remained a famous face within the showbiz industry and is instantly recognisable, while continuing to make music and be a prominent performer.
But aside from Adam, who today, turns 40, Daily Star has looked into the lives of all of the original Queen stars to celebrate the success and importance of one of the most successful music groups of all time.
Freddie Mercury
Stepping in to the shoes of this iconic superstar can’t have been easy for Adam.
Last November marked 30 years since Freddie died of complications related to AIDS (24 November 1991), aged just 45. He remains as popular as ever.
As a mark of how enduring Freddie’s legacy remains, last year the BBC made a documentary, Freddie Mercury: The Final Act, which covers his fight against AIDS and the legendary tribute concert which followed his death.
Brian May
As Queen’s guitarist, Brian, 74, was essential to their signature sound.
He has been married to acting legend Anita Dobson since 2000. In August last year, Brian revealed that the couple were horrified when heavy rain caused their London home to flood, ruining some treasured memorabilia.
Brian said that living in London had felt ‘brutal’ for some time, and they both wanted to leave the capital.
In happier news, it’s just been announced that Brian will make his acting debut in CBBC show Andy and the Band.
The musician has been one of the more successful members of the group, and according to Celebrity Net Worth, has amassed a whopping fortune of £157million.
John Deacon
He was dubbed ‘the quiet man of rock,’ and bassist John was so affected by Freddie’s death that he retired from music a few years later.
In 1991 John said: “As far as we are concerned, this is it. There is no point carrying on. It is impossible to replace Freddie.”
He only played live with the band a further three times – at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness in 1992, at a charity concert with Roger Taylor in Midhurst in 1993, and at Bejart Ballet’s opening in Paris in 1997, performing ‘The Show Must Go On’ with Elton John.
John has stayed out of the public eye ever since. He stayed away from Queen’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and Brian May said that his only input with the band now is regarding finances.
However, John apparently approved of the 2018 Freddie biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
Roger Taylor
Queen’s drummer is still making music – he released his sixth solo album, Outsider, in October last year.
October 2021 also marked the 40th anniversary of Queen’s Greatest Hits, which is the UK’s best-selling album of all time.
When it was confirmed that the hit-packed compilation album had ended 2021 as the fifth biggest selling album of the year, Roger quipped in a statement:
“Unbelievable, all praise the golden goose that just keeps giving!”
Freddie Mercury: The Final Act is available on BBC iPlayer
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
