Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor leaves the band over tinnitus

Drummer Roger Taylor is leaving the British band Duran Duran, citing tinnitus, which he says keeps getting worse. The other members of the group accepted the musician's decision with understanding and wished him good health.

“I have to listen to my body”

“This is one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make,” Taylor said. He said playing drums in this band has been the joy of his life, and that he could never thank the fans enough for their love over all these years. But, the musician admitted, his tinnitus keeps progressing, and he has reached the point where he must listen to his body and his doctors.

Tinnitus is a condition in which a person hears ringing, rustling, buzzing, whistling or humming even though there is no external source of these sounds. They experience it regularly, sometimes constantly. It is usually linked to some form of hearing loss.

Choosing the moment to leave was not easy, Taylor added, but he is going while the band is at its peak. “I couldn’t have wished for a better final chapter,” he said, adding that he leaves with enormous pride and love for Simon, Nick and John.

What the band says and what Duran Duran has achieved

Singer Simon Le Bon, bassist John Taylor and keyboardist Nick Rhodes said they regret their bandmate’s departure but understand that health comes first. “We fully support his decision and wish him good health and happiness,” the band’s statement reads.

This year Duran Duran played a tour of the UK and Europe, and in July headlined the BST Hyde Park festival in London. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Worldwide it has sold more than 100 million records and released sixteen albums between 1981 and 2023.

Roger Andrew Taylor was born on 26 April 1960. He played in Duran Duran in its first period until 1985, and then again from 2001 to the present day.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz