Who is the richest member of rock band Queen? Net worths, ranked: from LGBT icon Freddie Mercury and new frontman Adam Lambert, to guitarist Brian May, Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon

Nov 30 , 2022

Roger Taylor, Brian May, Freddie Mercury, Adam Lambert and John Deacon are all part of Queen. Photos: @rogertaylorofficial, @brianmayforreal/Instagram; Getty Images; @adamlambert/Instagram; @Radio_SonoraFM/Twitter

Queen was founded by frontman Freddie Mercury alongside Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, and made it big with songs like Bohemian Rhapsody and We Will Rock You

One of Mercury’s final performances was at 1985’s Live Aid fundraiser, alongside music legends Elton John and David Bowie, before his death from Aids in 1991

Queen has ruled music charts and fans’ hearts for decades.

Queen’s original founding members, from left: drummer Roger Taylor, singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May and bassist John Deacon. Photo: @officialqueenmusic/Instagram

Founded in 1970 and led by theatrical frontman Freddie Mercury, the band originally comprised guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor. A glimpse at any concert clip from the 1970s or 80s shows the quartet’s virtuosity and passionate devotion to what they clearly loved most – making and performing music.

Freddie Mercury of the rock band Queen on stage. Photo: Handout

Sadly, Queen’s monumental success came to a standstill when Mercury died at the age of 45 in 1991 after suffering from bronchial pneumonia resulting from Aids complications. The musical legend had been HIV-positive for years but, as reported by Men’s Health, only made his diagnosis public the day before he died. Even their long-time producer and occasional keyboardist Dave Richards was surprised by the news, saying there had been no clues that Mercury was ill.

Freddie Mercury (left) and Brian May during a recording session in 1985. Photo: Queen Productions

Before his death, Mercury performed at the Live Aid concert in 1985, which would go on to become one of his most memorable performances. The fundraiser was organised by musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the relief of an Ethiopian famine, and featured other music legends from Elton John to David Bowie.

Queen’s Brian May (left) and singer Adam Lambert performing at the Forum in July 2014, in Inglewood, California. Photo: AFP

Now, 31 years on and an Oscar-winning biopic later (2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody with Rami Malek playing Mercury), Queen’s legacy lives on and has even been resuscitated with the band going back on tour by popular demand. Adam Lambert (a runner-up on American Idol) makes a good attempt at matching Mercury’s energy and delivery, though many critics agree it’s simply not possible to fully replace the incomparable original frontman.

Queen + Adam Lambert perform at the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace, part of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, in London on June 4, 2022. Photo: Reuters

From 2019 to 2022, Lambert, May and Taylor (without Deacon who has retired) went on the global The Rhapsody Tour, suffering a few hiccups and rescheduling amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Although recently ended, May has indicated that there’s a “strong possibility” they’ll be hitting the stage again in 2023, possibly in the US, he told Variety in November.