Freddie Mercury statue made from car parts raises $23,000 for children with cancer

When it comes to fundraising, they are the champions.

Two concert organizers and an auto shop owner have raised $23,000 for children with cancer by auctioning off a metal sculpture of late Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury.

“It’s fantastic,” said concert and event organizer Mario Ricci. “It’s euphoria for me. It’s just fantastic to help people out that way.”

Ricci and his partner Jon Renaud staged the concert April 6 at the Olde Walkerville Theatre, featuring the cover band Simply Queen.

Macdonald Automotive Supercentre owner Peter Solly — well known for his auto part sculptures that line the sidewalk next to his business — created and donated the Freddie Mercury statue.

The group of friends have previously done similar fundraisers, including efforts to support people with autism and a benefit concert following the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash in Saskatchewan that killed 16 people.

For their most recent effort, Ricci said his wife, Angie, picked the charity. They auctioned off the Freddie Mercury sculpture during the April 6 Simply Queen concert to raise money for the Fight Like Mason Foundation, which supports children with cancer and their families.

Chantelle Bacon and Iain Macri created the foundation in honour of their son, Mason, who died in 2016 at the age of four after a yearlong fight with a rare cancer.

Ricci, Solly, and Simply Queen lead singer Rick Rock presented a cheque on Wednesday to Bacon and Macri outside Macdonald auto shop.

The concert organizers had hoped the one-ofa-kind sculpture might fetch a few thousand dollars. It went for $23,000.

Ricci said that was thanks to Bluesfest Windsor founder Ted Boomer, who kept raising the price and ultimately seized the winning bid.

“I was overwhelmed,” said Ricci. “I couldn’t sleep that night. I was up all night, just thinking about how much of a homerun we hit and the generosity that Mr. Boomer showed us with this donation.”