John Richard Deacon (born 19 August 1951) is a retired English 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". He also played rhythm and acoustic guitars on several albums as well as occasional keyboards, synthesizer and programming.
Deacon retired from the music business in 1997, and has chosen not to participate in the Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration. He was also absent from Queen's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2001.
Deacon grew up in Leicester where his father Arthur worked for the Norwich Union insurance company. He was known to friends as 'Deaks' and attended Langmoor 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.