Freddie Mercury’s mother, Jer Bulsara, passed away on Nov. 13 at the age of 94. Kashmira Cooke, Mercury’s sister, confirmed the news of her mother’s death on Sunday (Nov. 20) in a statement to the press, saying that she died in her sleep.Queen’s Brian May paid tribute to his late bandmate’s mother with a touching letter posted on his website: “Jer was a warm and devoted Mum to Freddie, and, like Freddie, always had a strong twinkle in the eye. Although she was also devoted to her husband Bomi, and lived in the Zoroastrian faith as a good Parsee, she had an independent spirit and a strong sense of humour.”“Of course I knew her for over 50 years, and when I first used to go around to Freddie’s parents’ house in Feltham, only a few yards from where I lived, in our student days, Jer was a busy Mum, full of life and optimism,” May continued. “And even then, fiercely proud of her children, Freddie and Kashmira.”“It’s probably true to say that Freddie’s father, strongly committed to the Parsee faith, didn’t find it easy that Freddie took the path he did, as a Rock musician, and a fairly irreverent one, at that. Nevertheless the support was always there. But Jer was always a keen follower of our progress as a band, and always came to see us when we played nearby, always with huge enthusiasm. Freddie was very close to his Mum, and, I think, took a mischievous pleasure in trying to shock her,” he said.

“In private moments with us, away from the glare of the spotlights, in latter years Jer was always ready with a cup of tea when we visited, and we were always able to speak about ‘My Freddie’ without shyness, feeling that he was not far away,” said May.

“Freddie adored his strong mum. RIP Jer,” Queen’s Roger Taylor commented.

Bulsara will have a private Zoroastrian funeral ceremony.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Mercury’s death. The Queen frontman passed on Nov. 24, 1991.