Freddy Mercury
Freddy Mercury rose to international stardom as the lead singer of the arena rock band, Queen. He was known for his major stage presence and big persona. Unfortunately, Freddie became one of the many people to contract HIV during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s.
It quickly transformed to AIDS and Freddie had to battle for his life. He kept his illness a secret from fans focusing on creating music instead. Closer to his death, he decided to speak on the virus and campaign to bring more attention to the epidemic. Here he is pictured shortly before dying of the virus in 1991.