In an interview from BBC Breakfast back in 2011, Brian May and Roger Taylor – who continue to tour as Queen, with guest vocalist Adam Lambert in their midst – agreed that the late Mercury was “a conciliatory figure” for them.
“We thrived on our differences,” Taylor said. “But it was turned into a strength”.
When Bill Turnbull asked if it was true that Mercury was the best at repairing any sour tensions, May agreed: “Strangely enough, he was.
“He was a great diplomat, Freddie, he could always find a way through.
“He had great focus. ‘Come on, let’s do this and this and this and it’ll be fine’.
“He was very good at sorting out stuff.”
In another interview from the archives, this time dating back to the 1980s, the now-retired John Deacon also spoke of the rifts in the group.
“We do argue a lot over musical policy,” he told a Dutch channel.
“What type of music to do, how much to tour, where to tour, and that sort of thing.”
He added: “But normally we’ve managed to come to some sort of agreement.”
More recently, May admitted that there were many occasions when the group nearly broke up altogether.
Revealing that many songs were “generated during periods of stress”, he told Guitar World that the intense mix of personalities resulted in fireworks.
“We were very fortunate to have a strong combination of personalities, but I think we were always on the verge of breaking up,” he recalled.
“Oddly enough, that’s where we got our strength, because we were pulling in different directions. We had four varied talents between us.”
And just this month, he hinted that his relationship with Taylor is all the better after their bumpy history.
“Me and my Bro’ might disagree about anything you care to name, but we have learned mutual respect over the years, and somehow when we play together, some kind of magic still happens,” he wrote on Instagram.
With Mercury’s legacy stronger than ever, long may that magic continue.
