26 Rare Pics Of Freddie Mercury And His Boyfriend From 1980s Reveal The Unseen Side Of Him

Now regarded as a gay icon, Freddie Mercury mostly kept his sexuality and relationships secret. Maybe that's why when you look at these candid photos of the famous singer and his last boyfriend Jim Hutton, you can't help but feel a sense of intimacy that reveals the true beauty of their love.

Freddie began seeing hairdresser Jim Hutton in the mid-1980s, but the start of their relationship was rocky. Freddie approached Jim on two different occasions at a club and both could be considered unsuccessful. It wasn't until the two met a third time at the same club (about two years after the initial chat) that Mercury's persistence won Hutton over and the two got together.

Jim moved into Garden Lodge with Freddie about two years later and stayed together until the artist's death in 1991. Once diagnosed with AIDS, Mercury even offered his partner an exit on their relationship but he declined. "I love you, Freddie," Jim recalled his own words in a documentary. "I'm not going anywhere." And he didn't - Hutton nursed the love of his life, and was there when Freddie released his last breath.

(h/t: vintageeveryday)