LONDON (The Thursday Times) — Roger Taylor, who has played drums for Duran Duran since the band formed in Birmingham in 1978, is leaving the group because of worsening tinnitus.
The 66-year-old said the condition had been “getting steadily worse” and that he had “reached the point where I must now listen to my body and my doctors.”
“Playing drums in this band has been the joy of my life, and I’ll never be able to properly thank the fans for the love they’ve shown us over the years,” he said in a statement released by the band.
Taylor said choosing the moment had been difficult, but he was glad to be “going out on a real high.” The band has just returned from a UK and European tour, which followed its second headline show at BST Hyde Park in London and a return to the studio with Nile Rodgers.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better final chapter, with so many special moments that I’ll treasure forever,” he said. “I move on with enormous pride, and with nothing but love for Simon, Nick and John.”
His bandmates, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, and John Taylor, said the decision followed “careful consideration and medical advice” that “protecting his hearing and long-term health must now come first.”
“His drumming helped define the sound of Duran Duran from the very beginning and having him back with us since 2001 has been incredibly important to us all,” they said. “He will always be part of this family.” The band will carry on with new projects, they added.
Taylor played on 10 hit albums and on both of the band’s UK number one singles, “Is There Something I Should Know?” and “The Reflex,” as well as “A View to a Kill,” the theme for the 1985 James Bond film.
He first left Duran Duran in 1985, at the height of its fame, and rejoined in 2001. He is not the Roger Taylor who drums for Queen.
Tinnitus is the hearing of ringing, buzzing, or other sounds that have no outside source.
