Here are 10 lesser known facts about Freddie Mercury

On the 28th anniversary of Queen legend Freddie Mercury's passing, here are some lesser-known facts about the singer.

1. Freddie Mercury was born as Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946 -- the name he went by until the 70s.

2. His parents were Parsis hailing from Gujarat, Bombay Province (British India). Religiously, they followed Zoroastrianism.

3. At the age of 8, he was sent to St. Peters boarding school in Panchgani, Maharashtra. He formed a school band called The Hectics at age 12, covering artists like Cliff Richards.

4. Before taking the world by storm with his high-octave vocals, Mercury was working at Heathrow Airport as a baggage handler.

5. Aretha Franklin and Jimi Hendrix were Mercury's favourite artists.

6. He was the one who designed the Queen logo that included the zodiac signs of all band members (Leos, Virgo, Cancer).

7. Before he christened his legendary rock band 'Queen', it was known as 'Smile'.

8. He had collaborated with Michael Jackson, but their work could not be completed because of a llama named Louie. Jackson brought his llama to the recording studio all the time, something Mercury was not a fan of.

9. Mercury was suffering from AIDS, and he confirmed the same on the day before his passing.

10. The Bohemian Rhapsody singer was a cat person and reportedly had 10 cats. He even made a song after his calico cat 'Delilah'.