Queen

     After playing live with Queen twice more (at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness on 20 April 1992, and in Paris on 17 January 1997, performing only "The Show Must Go On" with Elton John on lead vocals), he made the decision to retire from music, re-appearing only briefly by joining his ex-band mates in October 1997 for the recording of the final Queen song "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)", included in the Queen Rocks album released a month later. He chose not to be present at Queen's induction into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2001, or join in the collaboration with Paul Rodgers. On the Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration album The Cosmos Rocks which featured new material from the trio, Deacon was listed in the Thanks Notes on the CD.

     Deacon grew up in Leicester with father Arthur, mother Lilian and younger sister Julie. His father worked for the Norwich Union insurance company. But in 1962 when Deacon was 11, his father died of a heart attack. He was known to friends as 'Deaks' and attended Linden Junior School, Gartree High School and Beauchamp Grammar School in the city and achieved 8 GCE O level and 3 A level passes, all at grade A. It was in Leicester that he formed his first band, The Opposition, in 1965 at the age of fourteen. He played a rhythm guitar bought with money borrowed from one of the other band members. He became the bassist after the original bassist was fired for not being of the same quality as the rest of the band. As well as a dedicated musician Deacon also was the band's archivist, taking clippings from newspapers of even the advertisements featuring The Opposition. After being in the band for four years, Deacon played his final concert with the band (then called The Art) in August 1969. He left as he had been accepted to study at Chelsea College.

      Following The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, Deacon's sole performance with Queen was a one-off rendition of "The Show Must Go On" with Mercury's friend Elton John in 1997 (John had originally sung the track with the band at the Mercury tribute). He contributed to the final Queen song, "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)" – released that year on the Queen Rocks compilation – after which he retired from the music industry. Deacon has chosen not to participate in the Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration but giving them his support. He was also absent from Queen's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. 

    John Richard Deacon (born 19 August 1951), also known as Deacon John, is a retired British musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the rock band Queen. Of the four members of the band, he was the last to join and also the youngest, being only 19 years old when he joined. Deacon wrote a number of Queen's hit singles, including "You're My Best Friend", "Spread Your Wings", "Back Chat", "I Want to Break Free" and the band's biggest selling single in the United States, "Another One Bites the Dust", as well as a number of album tracks. He also played rhythm and acoustic guitars on several albums as well as occasional keyboards, synthesizer and programming. He frequently provided backing vocals during live shows.