Kashmira Bulsara spent millions to keep in the family some of Freddie Mercury’s possessions, including her record machine and letters of letters.
As reported, Freddie Mercury’s younger sister, Kashmira Bulsara, spent 3 million in secret to recover her brother’s precious possessions during a high profile auction, keeping them out of the reach of strangers.
According to The Sun, Kashmira, 73, and his son, Jamal Zook, offered anonymously for articles during the sale of Sotheby’s in September 2023, in which more than 1,400 belongings of Queen’s leader were auctioned.
The auction was organized by Mary Austin, confidant of Mercury for a long time, who inherited most of his heritage after his death in 1991.
“Kashmira was angry and annoying to see that so many possessions from her beloved brother were available for anyone to buy”said a source to the publication.
To remain in anonymity, Kashmira supposedly saw the collection in private before the sale and used his personal assistant to offer in person in Sotheby’s, while directed the procedures by phone.
Recover for the family
Among the most significant purchases were the Wurlitzer 850 Mercury Model Discs, which was sold for 406,400 pounds, and a hand -painted vest with portraits of the six cats of the singer, bought by 139,700 pounds.
The most expensive article achieved by Bulsara was a military -style jacket designed for Mercury’s 39th birthday party, which was sold for 457,200 pounds sterling.
He also won a draft of the letter of Queen’s classic of 1974, Killer Queen, for which he paid £ 279,400.
“They had reserved a large budget, so they were very happy with the final result, despite paying much more than the estimated price for each one,” added the source.
Of course, Kashmira appreciated the love Freddie received throughout the world, but he was sad to think that some of his sentimental belongings were not with his loved ones.
The sale, entitled Freddie Mercury: A World of His Ownraised an amazing sum of 40 million pounds, far exceeding the original estimate of 11.3 million pounds.
The auction attracted more than 140,000 visitors to Sotheby’s London, with buyers from more than 50 countries.
Heiress
Mary Austin, who had left Freddie Mercury in the early 1970s before she declared himself Gay, remained one of her closest companions until her death and was the main beneficiary of her heritage.
She donated part of the profits of the auction to Mercury Phoenix Trust, a beneficial organization against AIDS created by Freddie bandmates in Queen and her manager Jim Beach, and Elton John Aids Foundation.
Sotheby’s recreated rooms from Mercury’s house in Kensington, Garden Lodge, for sale in his Bond Street auction room. The passion of the singer for cats was also evident, with works of art of feline theme, books and even a copy of the magazine Catmopolitan among the lots.
Mercury wrote the famous Love of My Life song of Queen about Austin, who remained by his side throughout his life.
