What Is Mary Austin's Net Worth?
Mary Austin is an English woman who has a net worth of $200 million. Mary Austin is best known for being the former girlfriend and primary heir of Freddie Mercury. Austin also previously dated Queen guitarist Brian May. After she was introduced to Mercury, the two became romantically involved from 1970 to 1976. They lived together in West Kensington, London, and their relationship ended when Mercury told her of his sexuality. The pair remained close friends and Mercury wrote love songs about Austin. He was also the godfather of her oldest son, Richard.
When Freddie passed away, he left the majority of his wealth to Mary, including his on-going share of Queen's royalties, and his palatial London mansion. Mary listed this mansion for sale in February 2024 for $38 million. In April 2023, Austin announced that she was selling around 1,500 items that had belonged to Mercury, with a portion of the proceeds going to charities such as the Mercury Phoenix Trust. Mary was portrayed by Lucy Boynton in the 2018 film "Bohemian Rhapsody," which won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama.
Freddie Mercury Estate
Freddie left the vast majority of his estate and wealth to Mary, giving the remainder to his parents and sister and delegating some funds to be distributed to his chef, his personal assistant, his driver, and his relationship partner at the time of his death, Jim Hutton. At the time of his death in 1991, Mercury owned real estate worth the inflation-adjusted equivalent of $40 million and had $13 million worth of other liquid assets. In total, his net worth was approximately $50-60 million.
In April 2023, she announced that she was auctioning off hundreds of Mercury's possessions, stating:
"The time has come for me to take the difficult decision to close this very special chapter in my life. I need to put my affairs in order. I decided that it wouldn't be appropriate for me to keep things back. If I was going to sell, I had to be brave and sell the lot."
In September 2023 Mary sold 30,000 items from Freddie's estate at an auction that fetched just over $50 million. For example, she sold the piano with which he composed many Queen hits, including "Bohemian Rhapsody," for $2 million. A portion of the proceeds of the auction benefited Elton John's AIDS Foundation.
Garden Lodge London Mansion
In 1980, Freddie paid 500,000 pounds for a mansion in London called Garden Lodge. Mary inherited the estate upon Freddie's death, and proceeded to live there for the next three decades with her later husbands and children. In February 2024, Mary listed Garden Lodge for $38 million.
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Early Life & Career
Mary Austin was born Mary Georgina Austin on March 6, 1951, in Fulham, London, England. She is the daughter of two deaf parents. Mary's mother worked as a maid, and her father was a wallpaper trimmer. Austin dropped out of school when she was 15 years old and took a job as a receptionist. She later began working at the clothing store Biba.
In the mid-1980s, Mary appeared in the TV specials "Fashion Aid" and "Queen Live at Wembley '86." In 2000, she was featured in the television documentary "Freddie Mercury, the Untold Story," which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Long Form Music Video. In 2021, Austin appeared in the German TV documentary "Queen Forever – Die Freddie Mercury Story."
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Personal Life
In the late '60s, Mary dated guitarist Brian May, and after they split up, they remained friends. After he formed a band, he introduced her to his bandmates, and Austin caught the attention of the lead singer, Freddie Mercury. Freddie began coming to the store Mary worked at, and six months later, he asked her out. In 1973, Austin and Mercury began living together in West Kensington, London, and became engaged, but a few years later, Freddie began an affair with Elektra Records executive David Minns. In late 1976, Mercury told Austin about his sexuality, and their romantic relationship subsequently came to an end. Freddie moved out of their flat and bought Mary a home near his new place. Mercury said of Austin in a 1985 interview:
"All my lovers asked me why they couldn't replace Mary, but it's simply impossible. The only friend I've got is Mary, and I don't want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that's enough for me."
Austin married artist Piers Cameron in 1990, and they welcomed two children before divorcing in 1993. Freddie was the godfather of her first child, Richard.
When Mercury died in 1991, he left Austin his London home. He had told her, "You would have been my wife, and it would have been yours anyway."
Mary wed Nicholas Holford in 1998, but the marriage was annulled in 2002. Mary was at Freddie's side when he passed away, and she has said of Mercury:
"I lost my family, really, when Freddie died. He was everything to me, apart from my sons. He was like no one I had met before."
