Brian May opens up on how it feels that Queen's John Deacon won't speak to him

25 September 2025, 11:53

John Deacon is still involved with Queen, but he doesn't talk to his former bandmates.

Brian May has opened up about his current relationship with former Queen bassist John Deacon.

Alongside May, Roger Taylor and Freddie Mercury, Deacon was a founding member of Queen in 1970, and the quartet released a remarkable 14 albums in the two decades before Freddie's tragic death in 1991.

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After Mercury's passing, Deacon, May and Taylor completed the posthumous album Made in Heaven, which was built around vocal and piano parts that Mercury recorded before his death and released in 1995.

Deacon remained with the group through to the release of 'No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)', recorded as a trio, but retired from music completely soon after.

According to the official Queen website: "Today John lives a life retired from Queen but still takes an interest in the continuance of the legacy of the band, and remains in contact with former bandmates, Roger Taylor and Brian May."

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And while it's true that Deacon is still involved with decisions around Queen's business affairs, Brian May has now confirmed to Rolling Stone that John doesn't actually speak with either him or Roger Taylor.

"I  think both Roger and I find it quite hard, but he doesn’t want to and we have to respect that," May said.

"He wants to be separate. He's still part of the destiny of the band, though. If we're trying to make business decisions, he's always consulted, but it happens through the management or through our accountant.

"We don’t speak, which is a shame, but we do know that we have his blessing. That's important."

Deacon made a rare public involvement in a Queen project earlier this year when he signed a copy of 1975's chart-topping A Night At The Opera for the 2025 Freddie Mercury Birthday Party fundraiser.

The Mercury Phoenix Trust confirmed not just that the signatures were "100% authentic" but also that they were made in "the last two weeks".

But from Brian's more recent comments, it doesn't seem to have opened up the relationship at all.

Deaon's bass playing was a crucial part of Queen's live and recorded sound, and John was was a significant songwriter for the band.

He had sole writing credit for the massive 'I Want to Break Free', 'You're My Best Friend' and 'Another One Bites the Dust' and had co-writing credits on 'Under Pressure', 'Friends Will Be Friends' and 'One Vision'.

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May revealed in the past that the band asked John about a return of some sort to the band "a couple of times", but Deacon has always declined.

"That’s the way he wants it, he wanted to cut that tie and to be a private person and we have to respect that," he said.

A couple of years ago, May told The Guardian: "If we have any major decision, business-wise, it's always run past John," May told The Guardian.

"It doesn't mean he talks to us – generally, he doesn't – but he will communicate in some way. He’s still very much part of Queen."

Roger Taylor spoke more candidly in 2013, saying: "I haven't heard a squeak from John. Not a single guttural grunt."