Freddie Mercury “Optical Illusion” Performs with Queen

The late Queen frontman's image will appear at the 10th anniversary show of the musical "We Will Rock You"

First Tupac, then Left-Eye — and now Freddie Mercury.

The late Queen frontman is being revived today with an "optical illusion" effect for a performance of the West End musical "We Will Rock You" in London.

Queen guitarist Brian May told BBC News last week that the band had for some time been trying to hatch a plan for Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991, to join the 10th anniversary show of the musical based on the band's music.

"It's a little unfortunate they did that thing with Tupac as we've been trying to make Freddie appear on the stage for quite a while," he said.

He said that although the band had looked into using a hologram treatment like the one that resurrected Tupac at Coachella last month, it had decided on a different technique that was more practical.

"People will come out saying, 'did we actually see Freddie?'" he told BBC News.

The news came just weeks after Queen drummer Roger Taylor told Billboard he disliked the idea.

"It just doesn't sit too well with me. I don't want to appear with a hologram of my dear friend," he had told the magazine.

Tupac Shakur was first revived at the Coachella music festival in hologram form to appear to perform alongside Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.

Soon after, the surviving two thirds of R&B stars TLC announced on the anniversary of Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes' death that they would reunite to perform with her projected image.

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