A song for Mercury's 80th birthday was written by his personal assistant. Janda and Šporcl perform on it

The song Can't Take It Anymore was released on September 4, 2026, a day before Freddie Mercury's eightieth birthday. The author of the music, lead vocals, and production is Czech singer Milan Devinne; for the recording he invited violinist Pavel Šporcl, guitarist Petr Janda from Olympicu, and British producer and pianist Mike Moran. The music video had its premiere on the day of release and was ceremonially christened in the Swiss Montreux during Freddie Celebration Days — that is, in the city where Queen recorded and where the singer's statue now stands. iDNES ↗

The lyrics were written by Peter Freestone, Mercury's long-time personal assistant and close friend, who stayed with him until the end. The words come from what he witnessed with the singer in his final years — sleepless nights, exhaustion, declining strength, and waiting for test results. iDNES ↗

The song is in English and begins with the verse "Sleepless nights of sweating, how long will this go on". The chorus is even more direct: "It's true; can't take it any more / It's true; death's waiting at the door." YouTube ↗

Devinne's connection to Mercury was no accident. In 2013 he founded the Titanic Freddie AIDS Project, an educational program on HIV and AIDS prevention for primary and secondary schools — and Freestone is its co-author, who tells students about the singer's final years. The program has since been seen by about 16,000 students; besides the Czech Republic, it has been presented in Britain, the United States, Switzerland, and at Mexican universities. TFA Project ↗

The project cooperates with the Czech State Health Institute and is supported by the Mercury Phoenix Trust — a charitable organization against HIV and AIDS, founded after Mercury's death in 1991 by guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, and manager Jim Beach from the proceeds of the memorial concert at Wembley. The same charity today receives income from the museum in the Montreux studio Mountain Studios, which Queen owned since 1979 — that is, from the city where the clip was christened. The school program begins with a personal video greeting from Brian May and since January 2026 operates under the organization Up2Life, which Devinne leads. TFA Project ↗ Wikipedia ↗ Wikipedia ↗

That is precisely why Šporcl joined the composition. "One of my life mottoes is simple: when I can, I help. That's why I gladly accepted Milan's invitation to collaborate on this emotionally powerful song. I'm pleased that it simultaneously becomes the anthem of the Up2Life organization and can help open important topics among young people in the field of HIV and AIDS prevention," said the violinist. iDNES ↗

Among the guests, Mike Moran is the one who directly shaped Mercury's musical world. He is co-author of all eight compositions on the Barcelona album and produced it together with Mercury and David Richards. The title song was released as a single on October 26, 1987, and reached eighth place in the British charts; after the singer's death, it was released again in 1992 and climbed to second place. For the new recording, Moran wrote piano parts and arrangements. Wikipedia ↗ Wikipedia ↗ YouTube ↗

Petr Janda recorded solo and rhythm guitar, Šporcl the violin part. Opera voices were provided by Daniel Matoušek, soloist of the National Theatre Opera in Prague, who also performed at the London Royal Opera House, and soprano Petra Alvarez Šimková, who after four previous nominations received the Thalia Prize for 2025 for the role of Regan in the opera Lear and who sang with Andrea Bocelli in Prague's O2 arena. Wikipedia ↗ The clip was shot in a historic Czech theater and ballet was added to rock, opera, and classic in it. YouTube ↗ iDNES ↗

"I like Freddie Mercury and it was always close to me how classical music, opera, and the enormous freedom of rock met in his music. I'm glad I could be part of it," Janda commented on his participation. iDNES ↗

"This composition waited almost ten years for its moment. Only now have the right people, the right energy, and the experience I've gained over those years come together. Freddie Mercury was one of the people who led me to music. I wanted to connect the worlds he loved, but without trying to copy or imitate him. For me personally, it is above all a thank you to the person because of whom I once started making music," said Devinne. Devinne released the single independently as a charity single; it is distributed by Virgin Music, a division of Universal Music. iDNES ↗ YouTube ↗ Apple Music ↗

To mark the milestone, additional tributes were added. In London near Wembley stadium, a large-format portrait titled I'm Mr Mercury was unveiled. iDNES ↗



Illustration photo: Llez / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 — statue of Freddie Mercury on the waterfront in Montreux, where the clip was christened