The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by the English rock band the Smiths. It was released on 16 June 1986 through Rough Trade Records.

The album was produced by the band's singer, Morrissey, and their guitarist, Johnny Marr, working predominantly with engineer Stephen Street who engineered the Smiths' previous album, Meat Is Murder (1985). Marr wrote several songs while the Smiths toured Britain in early 1985, working out arrangements with bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce during soundchecks. The album title is taken from American writer Hubert Selby Jr.'s 1964 novel, Last Exit to Brooklyn. The cover art features the French actor Alain Delon in the 1964 film L'Insoumis.

The Queen Is Dead spent 22 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, reaching the number two position. It reached number 70 on the US Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in late 1990. Critically acclaimed, Rolling Stone ranked the album 113th on its 2020-updated list of the ""500 Greatest Albums of All Time"". In its 2013 list, NME named The Queen Is Dead the greatest album of all time.