On his 75th birthday, however, his life looks markedly different from that of bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor, who have continued performing under the Queen name.
According to reports about his life after Queen, Deacon remains retired and lives privately in Putney, southwest London, where he has long maintained a home with his family. While he has largely removed himself from the public-facing side of Queen, he has not severed every connection with the band and continues to be consulted on its financial affairs.
John Deacon Has Remained Out of the Spotlight for Nearly 30 Years
Deacon’s withdrawal from music followed Freddie Mercury’s death in November 1991. He subsequently made only a handful of appearances with his Queen bandmates, including the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992. His final live performance with them came in Paris in January 1997, when Queen performed “The Show Must Go On” with Elton John on vocals.
Source: IMDb
Later that year, Deacon reunited with May and Taylor in the studio to record “No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young),” Queen’s tribute to Mercury and others who had died young. It became Deacon’s final recording with the group. He retired from the music industry in 1997 and has not joined the touring incarnations of Queen that followed, including the band’s collaborations with Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert.
His absence has extended beyond the stage. Deacon did not attend Queen’s 2001 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and rarely makes public appearances. May and Taylor have previously explained that their contact with him is limited, although Deacon remains involved when financial decisions concerning Queen require his approval. He also approved the making of the 2018 biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” in which Joseph Mazzello portrayed him.
Deacon has repeatedly declined opportunities to return to performing. In 2022, May told Rock FM Spain that the former bassist had continued to turn down requests to rejoin Queen, although he suggested that a private reunion in a low-stress setting was more conceivable than a return to public performance. There has been no indication that Deacon intends to reverse his retirement.
At 75, Deacon continues to live away from the celebrity circuit in London. His public profile may have largely disappeared, but his work remains central to Queen’s catalog. Beyond playing bass, he contributed guitar, keyboards and piano in the studio and wrote several of the group’s biggest songs, including the U.S. chart-topper “Another One Bites the Dust.” His retirement has now lasted longer than his time as a member of Queen.
