Brian May, lead guitarist of the band Queen, has said that Freddie Mercury would be “a little jealous” of out singer Adam Lambert fronting Queen.

Freddie Mercury, the band's original frontman, died in 1991 of complications due to AIDS.

American Idol alum Lambert fronted for the band in a series of highly successful European shows in 2012 and again as part of last year's iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas.

Touring with the band in Australia, Lambert answered critics who say Mercury is simply irreplaceable.

“Some critics might say, it's not the same and he's not Freddie,” Lambert said during an appearance on Today. “Those are very true things. It isn't the same. I'm not Freddie. And I'm aware of that. But I think these two amazing musicians still want to get on stage and entertain people. I think that they have the right. And these songs need to be be brought to life on stage by the originators.”

May added: “In our minds, that was kind of the litmus test the whole time: Would Freddie like this? And we don't have any doubt whatsoever that Freddie would love it. He would be a little jealous, I think.”