Roger Taylor said Freddie Mercury had come up with a “wonderful solution” for equality among the members of Queen – even though it “didn’t go that well” for the drummer himself.

In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Taylor recalled how the four musicians, including guitarist Brian May and bassist John Deacon, remained so close until Mercury’s death in 1991.

“We were a gang, very tight-knit,” he said. “The whole thing was greater than the sum of the parts. We were very lucky with that chemistry. Fred had an incredible faith in us and our path. As he would endlessly say: ‘Talent will out, my dears!’

"Freddie and Brian were the main writers at first, and then John and myself sort of took over in the ‘80s," Taylor continued. "And Fred came up with a wonderful solution. He said, ‘Look, everything is under the heading Queen, so we split it equally.’ Which actually didn’t go that well for me, because I was writing most of the hits by then. But I can’t complain.”

Taylor also recalled his unconvinced response when he first heard Mercury try to sing. “He was so extreme, one was tempted to laugh at first, because he hadn’t developed his voice - he didn’t have the control he had later,” he said. “But he had this thrusting energy and zeal for everything. And, really, a massive array of hidden talents. We were big pals. We had a stall in Kensington Market, and he was so delightful, just great to be around, with a tremendous lust for life. He sort of invented himself.”

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