The woman who claimed to be Freddie Mercury’s secret daughter has died at 48 after a long battle with a rare spinal cancer, her husband confirmed.
Known publicly only as “B” and later revealed to have been called “Bibi” by Mercury, she passed “peacefully after a long battle with chordoma, a rare spinal cancer, leaving two sons aged nine and seven,” her widower, Thomas, told the Daily Mail.
“B is now with her beloved and loving father in the world of thoughts,” he added. “Her ashes were scattered to the wind over the Alps.” Bibi’s existence came to light in September 2025 with the release of 'Love, Freddie,' the bombshell biography by music journalist Lesley-Ann Jones.
In the book, Bibi, who had remained fiercely private, claimed that Mercury fathered her during a 1976 affair and that he had given her 17 journals shortly before his death. She also allegedly possessed DNA evidence confirming her parentage, though it has not been publicly shared.
According to Jones, Mercury called Bibi his “trésor,” French for treasure, and the Queen songs “Bijou” and “Don’t Try So Hard” were written about her. He even had a nickname for her, “little froggie.”
© Trinity Mirror / MirrorpixJones described Bibi’s mission in collaborating on the book. “I am devastated by the loss of this woman who became my close friend, who had come to me with a selfless aim, to brush aside all those who have had free rein with Freddie's story for 32 years, to challenge their lies and their rewriting of his life, and to deliver the truth.”
“At the end of her life, it was all that mattered to her. She was very ill throughout the four years that we worked together. But she was on a mission. She put herself and her own needs last,” Jones continued.
Bibi, who lived in France and worked as a doctor, had battled cancer for most of her life. Jones explained that the disease first emerged when Bibi was very young, prompting her family to move frequently for access to treatment.
© REX Features/Shutterstock /The Grosby GroupAfter years in remission, the cancer returned, setting in motion a “race against time” to finalize and release the biography before her death. In the final months of her life, she and her family embarked on a trip to South America, fulfilling a lifelong dream to see Machu Picchu.
For decades, Mercury’s closest friends and family, including his former fiancée Mary Austin, had no knowledge of Bibi. Austin, speaking to The Sunday Times before the book’s release, expressed disbelief at the idea of Mercury having a daughter.
“Freddie had a glorious openness, and I cannot imagine he would have wanted to, or been able to, keep such a joyful event a secret, either from me or other people closest to him. It would have brought tremendous joy to Freddie, and everybody who cared about him, including Freddie’s parents.”
© Trinity Mirror / MirrorpixBibi herself had previously spoken about growing up with the shadow of her famous father’s life surrounding her. “I didn’t want to share my Dad with the whole world,” she said ahead of the book’s publication.
“After his death, I had to learn to live with the attacks against him, the misrepresentations of him, and with the feeling that my Dad now belonged to everyone. I cried and mourned my Dad, while fans all around the world mourned Freddie. When you are 15 years old, it’s not easy.”
She added, “For 30 years I had to build my life and family without him and accept that he wouldn’t be there to share the happy moments with us. For 30 years, while the rest of the world was reinterpreting Mercury’s life, his music and all that he had been, I needed to have my Dad just for me and my family. How could I have spoken before?”
© REX Features/Shutterstock /The Grosby GroupBibi’s story offers a rare glimpse into a private side of Mercury, the iconic Queen frontman whose extraordinary talent reshaped rock history. Born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar on September 5, 1946, he was raised in a Parsi Zoroastrian household, attending school in India before fleeing to London during the revolution in 1963.
By the late 1960s, Mercury was involved with Mary Austin, his enduring love, though their relationship never led to marriage. Mercury would later describe Austin as his “common-law wife,” and though he explored relationships with men and women throughout his life, Austin remained his closest confidante.
Mercury’s later years were marked by a private struggle with AIDS. Diagnosed in the late 1980s, he kept his illness largely out of public view until a statement on November 23, 1991, confirming his HIV-positive status and his desire for privacy. He died the following day at 45.
© Trinity Mirror / MirrorpixHis funeral was a private Zoroastrian ceremony with Aretha Franklin performing, and his ashes were placed in a location known only to Austin.
Bibi’s own life, though less visible to the public, was shaped by the legacy of her father’s extraordinary career and her own battle with illness.
She never sought fame or recognition, choosing instead to keep her identity private to protect her career as a doctor and her family. Jones emphasized that Bibi’s revelation of her lineage was “not for recognition. Both Freddie and her stepfather left her extremely wealthy. She was not provided for through Freddie’s will, but by a private, legal arrangement, so no one will find her mentioned there.”
