Freddie Mercury was very ill with AIDS while filming the video, but never the less took any opportunity to be creatively involved in it, including co-directing some of the scenes and storyboarding the video. It was the last time he had any creative input in the video due to his declining health.
An urban legend says that Elton John portrays a man in the gorilla suit in the video but this has been denied by Freddie Mercury's personal assistant Peter Freestone.
Freddie Mercury's thick make-up was put to conceal the blotches on his face caused by AIDS. Moreover the wig and extra layer of clothing were the attempt to hide an enormous weight loss also induced by illness.