Freddie Mercury Gets Asteroid Named After Him For 70th Birthday

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Freddie Mercury, who would have turned 70 today, sang in the Queen song "Don't Stop Me Now": "I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky."

As a fitting celebration to the late singer, who died in 1991, the International Astronomical Union Minor Planet Center has named an asteroid after him.

Brian May, Queen's lead guitarist and an astrophysicist, announced the gesture in a Facebook Live interview with Sky News Monday morning.

May said it was his birthday present to his friend, who died of complications from the AIDS virus when he was just 45 years old.

The asteroid was discovered in 1991, the same year as the singer's death.

It will henceforth be known as "Asteroid 17473 Freddiemercury."

If Freddie were still alive to celebrate the milestone birthday, May said "he probably would have had a big party, Freddie liked parties."

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