The long-serving drummer of pop band Duran Duran has confirmed his retirement from the group due to worsening tinnitus.
Roger Taylor has been behind the kit for much of Duran Duran’s existence, but he will wrap up his time in the band immediately following his diagonsis. In a statement shared by the band, Taylor said: “This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. 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. But the truth is that my tinnitus has been getting steadily worse, and I’ve reached the point where I must now listen to my body and my doctors.
“Figuring out the timing of all of this has not been easy, but I’m going out on a real high. We’ve just returned from a hugely successful UK and European tour, which followed our second headline show at BST Hyde Park, our induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 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. I move on with enormous pride, and with nothing but love for Simon, Nick and John.”
Fans have since posted well wishes to Taylor, and some have asked the band to release an album that he was heavily involved in. One fan took to the Facebook page of Duran Duran where Taylor’s retirement was confirmed, and wrote: “Time to finish and release Reportage if only just to close the Andy Taylor & Roger Taylor chapter of Duran. The fans deserve this farewell. One last time all five together.”
Another added: “This is truly heartbreaking news. It hits especially hard right now, as we were all eagerly awaiting the release of Reportage and holding onto the hope of seeing Andy return—especially after hearing him play guitar on a few tracks of Danse Macabre—so that we might finally see all five of you on stage together again.”
Roger Taylor’s brother, Andy Taylor, confirmed the band had been offered a recording opportunity by Paul Allen on board his $450million super yacht. But the plans fell through, although they did work on mmaterial for the follow-up to their 2004 reunion album, Astronaut.
Said material has since been shelved, with sessions in 2006 leading to recordings and even a submission to Sony Music, with record label heads rejecting the album allegedly over not seeing which song could work as the single. John Taylor added: “I guess we’d worked on it for about six months, we got a title Reportage and we kind of had a cover and we presented it to the label.
“They said they heard the second single and the third single but not the first single, so they suggested could we perhaps go and cut a couple of songs with a producer—maybe something a little bit more commercial.”
Work has continued on the album as late as 2025, with Simon Le Bon referring to Reportage in 2025 when he spoke of the band’s European Tour. Whether the album sees the light of day remains to be seen, but some believe it would be right if the group returned to it now that drummer Roger Taylor has retired.
Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor added of Taylor’s decision to retire: “Roger is our brother. 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. We completely support his decision and wish him health and happiness. He will always be part of this family, while we continue exploring new and exciting projects with the band.”
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