Paul Prenter

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Paul Prenter
Occupation(s) Music manager, personal assistant
Years active1977 to 1986

Paul Prenter (born in London, England) was a British-born, Irish music manager, known for being Freddie Mercury's manager from 1977 to 1986. He attracted criticism for the influence he had over the star. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Life

Prenter had three brothers Stephen, Gerard, and Ray. He was openly gay from the age of 16, and his parents were accepting of his sexuality. [4]

He worked as a disk jockey in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is widely believed that he met Freddie Mercury at a bar in 1975, and became his manager two years later. It has been suggested that he and Mercury had a sexual relationship during this time, although Prenter's brothers strongly dispute this. [4]

The first five years of his work with Mercury are thought to have been fairly positive. However the relationship became more strained from 1982, with the release of the album Hot Space: Prenter did not have a good relationship with any of the other members of Queen, and the album was not as successful as had been hoped. Brian May and Roger Taylor blamed Prenter's influence for the album's sound which they disliked. Still he remained in Mercury's employment for several more years. [4]

After his employment with Mercury came to an end, Prenter caused controversy in 1987, when he sold a story to The Sun newspaper, in which he revealed Mercury's sexuality and exposed his relationship with Jim Hutton. Prenter's brothers have explained this by stating that he was upset about being fired by Mercury, leaving him unable to pay for his treatment for HIV/AIDS, which he was suffering from by this time. His brother Ray stated “Paul was very bitter. He felt they let him down, and he was hurt. He worked for them for years, and he got very little from them. That was when he decided he had to get a few bob for his own treatment. So that is why he went with the papers.” [4]

Death

Prenter died in Belfast of HIV/AIDS just a few months before Mercury died of the same illness in 1991. [5]

In fiction

Prenter was played by Allen Leech in the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody. [6]

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References

  1. ↑ "Bohemian Rhapsody 'Paul Prenter wasn't ALL bad' says Brian May". express.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  2. ↑ Duncan, Amy. "Who was Paul Prenter and how did he betray Freddie Mercury and Queen?" . Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  3. ↑ Rowney, Jo-Anne (2018-10-24). "How Paul Prenter betrayed Freddie Mercury and became Bohemian Rhapsody's villain". The Mirror. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Bohemian Rhapsody Makes This Person The Bad Guy — But Here's What Really Happened". Bustle . Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  5. ↑ "Family of Belfast man Prenter who was Freddie Mercury's PA claim movie's portrayal destroys his name". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2019-03-17. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  6. ↑ "Allen Leech Joins 'Bohemian Rhapsody' As Paul Prenter, Freddie Mercury's Judas" . Retrieved 24 December 2024.
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