Forty years after their smash hit “Bohemian Rhapsody” was released, British rock band Queen have been honored as “Living Legends” at the Classic Rock Roll of Honor awards. Formed in 1971, the band, originally consisting of lead singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass guitarist John Deacon, went on to become one of the best-selling musical acts of all time.

Known for hugely popular songs such as “We Are The Champions”, “Another One Bites The Dust” and “We Will Rock You”, Queen released “Bohemian Rhapsody” in November 1975 and it became one of the most recognizable songs in the world. “It makes you wonder, well, we’re still here for some reason,” May told Reuters at the red carpet for the awards, held by the British Classic Rock magazine, on Wednesday night. “It’s amazing where the time went ... Everybody’s talking about ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, which is nice. I think Freddie would be very proud and we are too.” May collected the Living Legends award on behalf of the band, which still perform together 24 years after Mercury’s death.

The group announced this week they will headline next year’s Isle of Wight Festival with singer Adam Lambert. “I think Freddie would be very happy because it’s something we used to talk about in the old days, but we never did festivals in the old days so it’s going to be nice,” May said. Other honorees at Wednesday’s awards included American shock rocker Alice Cooper, who took the Classic Album award for “Welcome To My Nightmare” from 1975, and heavy metal veterans AC/DC, who won Band Of The Year. — Reuters