In 1985, hours before taking the stage at Wembley for Live Aid, doctors warned Freddie Mercury not to sing. He had serious vocal problems and even refused to give interviews that morning because of the condition of his throat. Far from heeding their advice, he decided to go on stage with Queen anyway. The result was a set lasting just 21 minutes that went on to become legendary. Freddie got 72,000 people in the stadium to sing and clap in unison, following his every move, in a display of stage presence that many consider unmatched. Two decades later, in 2005, a BBC poll voted that performance the greatest live show in Rock History, ranking it above Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock and even The Rolling Stones’ free concert in Hyde Park.

Brian May revealed that Freddie Mercury told him, "I can't do this anymore," after Queen's final concert in 1986. On August 9, 1986, Queen took the stage at Knebworth Park to perform what would turn out to be their final concert with Freddie Mercury. Before a crowd estimated at between 160,000 and 200,000 people, no one knew that that night would mark the end of an era. After the concert, Brian May recalls that Freddie told him, “I can’t do this anymore.” At the time, they thought it was an exaggeration following an exhausting tour. Years later, May came to understand those words differently. Freddie likely already knew the severity of his illness. He had been diagnosed with HIV before telling his bandmates in 1989. Freddie continued to perform with extraordinary energy until his last public appearance. On November 23, 1991, he announced that he had AIDS. He died the next day, November 24, at his home in Kensington, at the age of 45. For Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, his death marked the breakup of a band they had always considered inseparable.

Yesterday, October 9, John Lennon would have turned 86. By a curious coincidence, his youngest son, Sean Ono Lennon, born in 1975 from his relationship with Yoko Ono, shares the exact same birthday as his father. Sean was born on the day John turned 35, a gift that Lennon himself described as the most special he had ever received.

Today we remember John Lennon, who would have turned 86 years old. “Imagine all the people Livin' life in peace…”

John Lennon and Yoko having coffee and cake at Cafe La Fortuna in New York (1980) Months later, Lennon would be murdered.