John Deacon

John Deacon grew up in Oadby, Leicestershire, playing bass in a local band before studying electronics at Chelsea College in London. He joined Queen in 1971, bringing both musical chops and the homemade Deacy Amp that Brian May used to build guitar orchestras across every album. From Sheer Heart Attack onward, he wrote at least one song per record - "You're My Best Friend," "Another One Bites the Dust," "I Want to Break Free" - and co-wrote "Under Pressure" and "One Vision." After Mercury's death in 1991 and the Tribute Concert the following year, Deacon played sporadically with May and Taylor, then retired from the industry in 1997 after recording "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)." He has not performed on any project the surviving members have launched since, though he remains involved in the band's finances.