John Deacon retired from music in 1997. He doesn't speak to his bandmates directly. And in June 2024 — he had his own lawyer at the table for the $1.27 billion Sony deal — the biggest music rights sale in history. Still silent. Still equal. Still there.
John Deacon retired from music in 1997.
He has not performed since. He does not speak to his bandmates directly. He communicates through management. Through accountants. Through lawyers.
And he is still worth — by most estimates — approximately $170 million.
Because John Deacon never stopped being an equal shareholder in everything Queen has ever built.
Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon and the estate of Freddie Mercury are equal shareholders in Queen Productions Ltd — the company that owns and controls Queen's entire musical legacy.
Equal. All four. Permanently.
Billboard estimated Queen earns approximately $50 million annually from recorded music and publishing combined.
John Deacon's equal quarter share — arriving every year — from music he stopped making nearly three decades ago.
Then in June 2024 — the biggest music rights deal in history was announced.
Sony Music acquired Queen's catalog for $1.27 billion — the largest music rights sale ever recorded. Surpassing Bruce Springsteen's previous record of $500 million.
Sources confirmed that each band member — Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon and the estate of Freddie Mercury — had their own individual lawyer involved in negotiating the deal.
John Deacon — who won't answer his bandmates' calls — had his own lawyer at the table.
For the biggest music deal in history.
His share of $1.27 billion.
Collected in the same complete silence in which he has lived his entire post-Queen life.
The man who walked away from everything in 1997 — was still there for all of it.
Quietly. Permanently. On his own terms.
Pray for Vic Mignogna. Among all the other shit he's gone through, on top of everything else he gets diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Hoping for a full and speedy recovery.
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“The Thing” director John Carpenter praises Keith David as an “astonishing actor” while honoring him at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
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@ajfortner2003 Ken Russell and I had a delightful lunch with Gerald Scarfe. Ken suspected Gerald had modelled young Hercules
on him. “I always wanted a Pegasus pony.”
Martin Scorsese is like 125 years old, stop shoving your opinions on him, he has done 100× more for cinema than entire film twitter combined, take a walk.
Exciting news!
Rolling Stone included me on their list of "terrifying" Republicans running for office this year.
They also say that "you've probably never heard" of me.
Which is weird because Rolling Stone definitely has...