The Queen guitarist has admitted that coming to terms with the singer's death in 1991 has been "painful" and says his former bandmate is still a big part of his life.

He said: "I think about Freddie all the time, really. There certainly isn't a day where I don't have some sort of thought about him.

"I have been to extremes where I have found it very painful, and I couldn't talk about him. But I don't feel that anymore. He's part of our lives, still, in a very real way."

The veteran rocker admits his initial reaction to his bandmate's death from an AIDS-related illness made him want to "escape" the group because he didn't know what else to do.

He explained: "When Freddie died, it was like losing a family member, and we all handled it in different ways. For a time, I really wanted to escape from Queen; I didn't want to know about it. I think that was my grieving process."

However, now Brian looks back at his memories of Freddie with happiness.

He said: "I'm not saying there aren't moments when I don't get tearful, because there are, but most of the time it's a joy."