Introduction

John Deacon is an English retired professional musician with an estimated net worth of $170 Million. 

Before Wealth & Fame

John Deacon joined his first band, The Opposition, as a rhythm guitarist but switched to bass a year later. In addition to being a musician, Deacon also served as the band’s archivist, and he remained with them for four years. 

After that, he earned a First Class Honors degree in Electronics from Chelsea College and saw Queen perform live for the first time. He then became the last member to join when they lost their bassist in early 1971, and he played his first show at the College of Estate Management. 

Deacon didn’t know it then, but he was set to become one of the richest rock stars in the world as a member of Queen. 

Queen

John Deacon was credited on Queen’s first album in 1973 as Deacon John to make him seem more interesting. However, he requested his real name be used in the credits, which was done on all subsequently released albums. 

Deacon started writing for Queen’s third album, Sheer Heart Attack, with the songs “Misfire” and “Stone Cold Crazy.” He also played some of the guitar sections when Brian May was hospitalized with hepatitis during the recording sessions. 

In 1975, his song “You’re My Best Friend,” written for his future wife, was included on Queen’s fourth album, A Night at the Opera. After that, he wrote the wildly popular “Another One Bites The Dust” in 1980, which quickly became one of the band’s best-selling singles. Deacon continued collaborating with Freddie Mercury throughout the 80s, helping the band move their sound towards disco. 

Final Years

John Deacon’s work with Mercury culminated in the band’s 1992 album Hot Space, where he played the opening of “Staying Power.” He also insisted on playing the guitar on “Back Chat,” a song that was his own composition, and May’s style didn’t suit it. However, this album proved to be commercially unsuccessful, and Queen returned to their former sound with their subsequent albums. 

By the mid-80s, Deacon had started working with other bands and artists, including Elton John, Bad Company, and The Pretenders. At this point, he considered his songwriting to be as important as his musical skills, stating he wouldn’t have been satisfied with only playing guitar. 

Unfortunately, in November 1991, Freddie Mercury passed away, and his death upset Deacon so much that his career saw a significant reduction. After playing with Queen three more times, including at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness, John Deacon retired from music. 

Queen Productions Ltd

All reports suggest that John Deacon still owns a percentage of Queen and regularly receives royalty payments from the band’s music. Queen Productions Ltd is a British company linked to the band, with all related payments being processed through the business. However, as of June 2024, Deacon, May, and Taylor are no longer company directors.

The company’s latest filing shows total profits of £17.6 million ($21.47 million) before taxes in 2024, a slight decrease from the £19.65 million ($23.96 million) figure in 2023. The total dividends distributed during the 2024 calendar year were £3.66 million ($4.46 million).

Between 2015 and 2024, a total of £123.21 million ($150.3 million) in dividends has been distributed to the company’s shareholders. Queen Productions Ltd’s ownership is split four ways between the three remaining band members and the estate of Freddie Mercury. This is structured as follows:

• John Deacon – Ordinary A Class Shares
• Brian May – Ordinary B Class Shares
• Roger Taylor – Ordinary C Class Shares
• Estate of Freddie Mercury – Ordinary D Class Shares

Each class of company shares is valued equally, effectively meaning that all four parties hold a 25% stake. Thus, John Deacon’s dividends over the past ten years amount to £30.8 million ($37.6 million).

These dividends were paid out with annual totals as follows:

• 2024 – £3.66 million ($4.46 million)
• 2023 – £19.65 million ($23.96 million)
• 2022 – £12.9 million ($15.7 million)
• 2021 – £17.07 million ($20.83 million)
• 2020 – £20.17 million ($24.61 million)
• 2019 – £19.43 million ($23.72 million)
• 2018 – £7.8 million ($9.52 million)
• 2017 – £5.85 million ($7.13 million)
• 2016 – £5.68 million ($6.93 million)
• 2015 – £11 million ($13.42 million)

Retirement

After retiring, John Deacon appeared briefly with his bandmates in 1997 to record Queen’s final song, “No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young).” However, he later spoke unfavorably about Robbie Williams and Brian May’s “We Are the Champions” cover, which was released on A Knight’s Tale.

Since then, he has remained out of the limelight and even chose not to attend Queen’s induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. He also didn’t join the Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration, though May has stated he is involved with the business side of the band. 

In 2014, following the Queen + Adam Lambert North American Tour, May admitted he had no contact with Deacon aside from talking about finances. May spoke to Rock FM Spain in 2022, stating that he didn’t think Deacon would ever perform again and that they still have very little contact.

Introduction

Daddy Yankee is a Puerto Rican professional musician with an estimated net worth of $100 Million.

Now the highest-selling Latin music artist of all time, Daddy Yankee’s net worth has exploded in recent years. This is primarily due to the 2017 single, “Despacito”, with Luis Fonsi, which skyrocketed his popularity, selling over 141 million units in the United States. Since then, Daddy Yankee has held multiple tours, grossing hundreds of millions of dollars.

What’s even more interesting is that Yankee has already been in the music business for over two decades. His single “Gasolina” was initially released in 2004, but didn’t gain much attention until the release of “Despacito”. It’s now sold over 33 million certified units in the United States.

Net Worth History

When we first listed Daddy Yankee’s net worth in 2020, it was sitting at an estimated $30 million. However, his tour, La Última Vuelta, which occurred between 2022 and 2023, grossed approximately $198 million. This has completely transformed his wealth in recent years, now placing his fortune at approximately $100 Million.

La Última Vuelta World Tour

Despite the La Última Vuelta tour being the twelfth of Daddy Yankee’s career, it accounts for roughly 80% of the artist’s lifetime tour revenue. Still, several of his previous tours proved successful in their own right. The Big Boss tour, which took place between 2007 and 2008, grossed an average revenue of $300,000 per show. In 2015, he grossed $6.9 million from nine shows of the “Kingdom” tour, and his “Con Calma” tour in 2019 grossed a reported $10.8 million. 

The result from all eleven of Daddy Yankee’s prior tours is approximately $45 million in gross revenues. It’s also important to mention that the majority of these took place before the success of “Despacito”.

In July 2022, he embarked on the La Última Vuelta World Tour, which took place in cities across the United States, Canada, and Latin America. The tour comprised a total of 83 shows between July and December, selling over 1.9 million tickets. Each show had an average attendance of 22,900 people, paying an average ticket price of $104.21.

The result was a total gross revenue of $197.8 million, of which $114.32 million was produced from the Latin America shows, and the remaining $83.8 million from the North America stint. It became the highest-grossing tour of Daddy Yankee’s career and was listed among the highest-grossing tours worldwide in 2022. La Última Vuelta was also the artist’s final tour of his career.

Divorce Proceedings & Lawsuit

Daddy Yankee was married to Mireddys González for nearly three decades, but officially filed for divorce in December 2024. It appears as though the proceedings were made much more complicated. As soon as the divorce was finalized in February 2025, Yankee filed a $250 million lawsuit against González and her sister, Ayeicha, alleging that the sisters mismanaged El Cartel Records and Los Cangris Inc.

In the lawsuit, Daddy Yankee alleged that Mireddys and Ayeicha transferred approximately $100 million from company bank accounts into their own personal accounts without authorization. Based on information known to the public, it’s presumed that the sisters previously had the authority to make this type of transaction. However, in December 2024, after filing for divorce, Yankee put measures in place for any company transactions over $100,000 requiring dual authorization. The alleged $100 million in withdrawals ($80 million from El Cartel Records and $20 million from Los Cangros) occurred after the fact.

The $250 million figure mentioned in the suit comprises the $100 million in withdrawals, plus consequential damages for breach of contract, mismanagement of corporate assets, and lost business opportunities. At the time of writing, the case is ongoing, and no official statements or decisions have been made.

Real Estate

Daddy Yankee reportedly owns several homes in Puerto Rico, with some sources suggesting his portfolio contains as many as eight properties. This includes an apartment in a housing project in his old neighborhood. Additionally, he owns a villa near the El Yunque rainforest, which he previously listed on Airbnb for $85 per night. His property in Carolina, next to the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, is considered to be worth approximately $3 million. 

Introduction

Roger Taylor is an English professional musician with an estimated net worth of $200 Million. 

Queen Productions Ltd

All of Queen’s revenues related to music revenues and royalties go through their company, Queen Productions Ltd., which is based in the United Kingdom. Thanks to the Companies House database provided by GOV.UK, all of the business’ annual accounts and filings can be viewed by the public.

Queen Productions Ltd’s ownership is split four ways, with each band member owning an equal share (25%). In Freddie Mercury’s case, his shares are paid out to the executor of his estate. The ownership and company shares are assigned as follows:

• John Deacon – Ordinary A Class Shares
• Brian May – Ordinary B Class Shares
• Roger Taylor – Ordinary C Class Shares
• Estate of Freddie Mercury – Ordinary D Class Shares

In Queen Production Ltd.’s most recent filing in September 2025, it recorded £17.6 million ($21.47 million) in profits, before considering taxes. Each of the shareholders receives dividend distributions, and after browsing through all the annual records, we can see payouts as follows:

• 2024 – £3.66 million ($4.46 million)
• 2023 – £19.65 million ($23.96 million)
• 2022 – £12.9 million ($15.7 million)
• 2021 – £17.07 million ($20.83 million)
• 2020 – £20.17 million ($24.61 million)
• 2019 – £19.43 million ($23.72 million)
• 2018 – £7.8 million ($9.52 million)
• 2017 – £5.85 million ($7.13 million)
• 2016 – £5.68 million ($6.93 million)
• 2015 – £11 million ($13.42 million)

These figures are the combined dividend payouts to company shareholders, and not the individual distributions to each band member. Between 2015 and 2024, a total of £123.21 million ($150.3 million) in dividends has been distributed, and with a 25% stake, Roger Taylor would have received £30.8 million ($37.6 million).

Music Catalog Sale

In 2024, Queen sold their entire recorded music catalog to Sony Music Entertainment for a record-breaking $1.27 billion, one of the largest music deals in history. As part of the agreement, Taylor and the surviving band members secured a substantial share of the payout, with each member receiving around $300 million before taxes and management fees.

The sale included all of Queen’s albums and singles, featuring timeless hits like Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, and Somebody to Love, further cementing the band’s legacy while delivering significant financial gains for Taylor and his fellow bandmates.

The deal’s complexity arose from the distinct writing credits and royalties of each band member’s contributions, and the proceeds were distributed among the surviving members and the estate of late band member Freddie Mercury. While exact figures for each party were not publicly disclosed, the substantial total suggests significant individual earnings.

The collaboration between Queen and Adam Lambert, known as the Rhapsody Tour, has been highly successful, and the 2019 leg of the tour grossed $181.3 million from 77 shows, selling over 1.4 million tickets. By excluding live performance revenue from the catalog sale, Taylor ensured that the ongoing tours with Lambert remained under their control, allowing them to continue benefiting from the financial success of their concerts.

This strategic decision reflects a balanced approach to managing their artistic legacy and financial interests. While the deal was a collective effort, Taylor’s role in preserving the band’s touring rights highlights his keen understanding of Queen’s enduring appeal and revenue potential.

Philanthropy

Taylor co-founded the Mercury Phoenix Trust in 1992 alongside Brian May and Queen’s manager, Jim Beach, to honor Freddie Mercury and support the fight against the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Since its inception, the trust has funded over 1,000 projects in 57 countries, focusing on education, prevention, and support services for those affected by the disease.

Taylor has also participated in notable initiatives, such as Nelson Mandela’s 46664 concerts, which raised awareness about the disease in Africa. In 2010, Queen collaborated with Hard Rock International to further these efforts, seamlessly blending music with impactful philanthropy.

Through these and other initiatives, Taylor has steadfastly committed to using his platform for positive social change, leaving a lasting legacy far beyond music. His unwavering dedication to charitable causes continues to inspire, demonstrating the profound impact artists can have on global issues.

Real Estate

Taylor’s real estate portfolio reflects his success and preference for luxurious, peaceful properties in iconic locations. In February 2024, he listed his 1930s Spanish-style villa in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, for $6.19 million. This elegant property boasts four bedrooms, a lagoon-style pool, and panoramic city views. Taylor purchased the villa in the early 1980s for $352,000, demonstrating significant appreciation over the decades.

In the United Kingdom, Taylor resides on a sprawling estate in Guildford, Surrey, renowned for its historic charm and secluded privacy. Taylor also previously owned a home in Cornwall, a region celebrated for its dramatic coastal landscapes. This property, located in one of the UK’s most sought-after areas, was sold after being in Taylor’s possession for several years. While the sale price remains undisclosed, similar homes in Cornwall typically fetch between $2.5 million and $3.7 million, depending on size and location.

In 1979, Taylor acquired the Milhanger, an Arts-and-Crafts mansion near Thursley, Surrey, United Kingdom. The estate, built in 1907, spans 70 acres and features a seven-bedroom main house, an on-site recording studio, and numerous outbuildings. Taylor lived there for over 20 years before selling it in 2003 for an undisclosed amount. In 2020, the property was listed for $6.1 million, further cementing its reputation as a grand estate that still carries the spirit of its rock star owner, even years after he moved on.