Sir Elton John has unveiled the final note he ever received from his best friend Freddie Mercury, who lost his battle with AIDs back in 1991.
The Tiny Dancer singer was close to the 45 year old and was one of the very few people allowed to spend time with Freddie before his death.
Now, 29 years later, Elton is ready to talk about his last weeks with Freddie, when he was "too frail to get out of bed" and was riddled with pain from the lesions the condition caused him.
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In his memoir, Elton, 73, explained of his friend: "He was too frail to get out of bed, he was losing his sight, his body was covered in Kaposi's sarcoma lesions, and yet he was still definitely Freddie, gossiping away, completely outrageous.
"I couldn’t work out whether he didn’t realise how close to death he was or if he knew perfectly well but was determined not to let what was happening to him stop him being himself."
Freddie was extremely private about his illness, only telling a handful of people what he was going through before announcing it to the world shortly before his death.
He spent the final weeks of his life focusing on others as he managed to record his last album with his bandmates, called Made in Heaven.
The frontman also managed to get his loved ones Christmas presents, including one for Elton, which contained the last message the I'm Still Standing singer would ever receive from his pal.
Freddie had bought him a painting by Henry Scott Tuke, one of Elton's favourite artists, which was delivered after the We Will Rock You star passed away.
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Speaking about it, Elton said: "By all rights, Freddie should have spent those final days concerned only with his own comfort. But that wasn't who he was. He truly lived for others
"Freddie had passed on November 24, 1991, and weeks after the funeral, I was still grieving. On Christmas Day, I learnt that Freddie had left me one final testament to his selflessness.
"I was moping about when a friend showed up at my door and handed me something wrapped in a pillowcase. I opened it up, and inside was a painting by one of my favourite artists, the British painter Henry Scott Tuke. And there was a note on the front from Freddie.
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"Years before, Freddie and I had developed pet names for each other, our drag-queen alter egos. I was Sharon and he was Melina. Freddie's note read, 'Dear Sharon, I thought you'd like this. Love, Melina. Happy Christmas.'"
Elton went on to explain how heartbroken he was by the note as he said: "I was overcome, 44 years old at the time, crying like a child. Here was this beautiful man, dying from AIDS, and in his final days, he had somehow managed to find me a lovely Christmas present.
"As sad as that moment was, it's often the one I think about when I remember Freddie, because it captures the character of the man. In death, he reminded me of what made him so special in life."
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