Heartbreaking news: John Deacon collapse on stage due to….

Members of the classic British rock band Queen are royally rich after selling their deep catalog of hits to Sony for an astounding $1.2 billion — and a huge chunk is going to a guy who wants nothing to do with them.

Former Queen bassist John Deacon, who wrote some of the band’s biggest hits including “Another One Bites the Dust” and “You’re My Best Friend,” axed his relationship with the group after the 1991 death of lead singer Freddie Mercury, declaring, “It’s impossible to replace Freddie.”

And while surviving Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor soldier on, with former American Idol finalist Adam Lambert taking over for Freddie, the 72-year-old bass player lives the life of a recluse in England while still raking in millions.

“Everybody wonders what John does with all this money,” a source exclusively tells Closer. “He was already worth nearly $200 million before this billion-dollar sale went through, but he hasn’t talked to Brian or Roger in many years — and as Roger says, he just cashes the checks.”

“He’s still a quarter owner of the Queen brand, but nobody ever hears anything from him!”

A source says Deacon — who has been married for 49 years and has six children with wife Veronica — still nurses a broken heart over Mercury’s death. “When Freddie died, John felt like Queen died with him,” says the insider.