As the world of rock has evolved from the mid-20th century, many big names in the genre have made it big and then faded away. It’s a natural part of the game. However, on a few surprising occasions, some rock stars have made it big and then virtually disappeared from the mainstream music world entirely. Or did they? Let’s look at a few famous musicians who stopped making headlines, but didn’t actually disappear.
John Deacon
John Deacon is one of the more underrated former members of Queen. He wrote some of the rock band’s greatest hits, from “Another One Bites The Dust” to “I Want To Break Free”. When most people think of Queen, they think of Freddie Mercury or Brian May. But what about John Deacon?
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This one’s an odd case, as Deacon didn’t really “officially” leave the band. He continued to contribute to the band in terms of songwriting for years. However, following the death of his bandmate and friend, Mercury, he decided to retire in 1997. He has since opted for a private life and did not appear at Queen’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He has contributed to interviews here and there, but he has made it clear that he will never rejoin Queen.
D’arcy Wretzky
D’arcy Wretzky is one of the most recognizable members of Smashing Pumpkins. However, the famed bassist shocked the alt-rock world when she left the band in 1999. Billy Corgan would later say she was fired for doing drugs and refusing help. That was likely true, as Wretzky was arrested for possession of c*caine shortly after her dismissal.
From there, Wretzky has disappeared from the public eye. She moved to a horse farm in Michigan and occasionally made the news for occasional arrests. In 2018, she gave an interview for the first time in nearly two decades, where she maintained her criticisms of Corgan. It seems like Wretzky isn’t involved in the music industry that much nowadays.
Meg White
This one always bums me out. In the early aughts, Meg White was a big deal. She was the famed drummer of The White Stripes, and she was hailed as one of the most talented drummers of her time. And after the alt-rock band called it quits in 2011, White basically disappeared from the face of the earth.
Meg White is still out there, but she no longer makes music and avoids the public eye entirely. It makes sense, considering she has been forthright about her acute anxiety and shyness in the past.
Fats Domino
Before there was Elvis Presley and modern rock music, there was Fats Domino. His debut song from 1949, “The Fat Man” is considered by many to be one of the very first recorded rock songs. He enjoyed a successful career through the 1960s, and continued performing through the 1990s.
However, Fats Domino makes it to our list of rock stars who disappeared, considering nobody really heard from him after the 1990s. That’s because he disliked leaving his hometown of New Orleans and opted to slow down. When Hurricane Katrina hit, he was reported missing, but was thankfully found safe. He was more or less retired until his death at the age of 89 in 2017.
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