Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor is leaving the band due to a worsening condition caused by tinnitus (ringing in the ears), UNN reports, citing Reuters.
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In his statement, Taylor said: "This is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make. Playing drums in this band has been an enormous joy for me, and I will never be able to properly thank the fans for the love they have given us over the years. But the truth is that my tinnitus is constantly getting worse, and I have reached the point where I must listen to my body and my doctors’ advice."
Taylor fondly recalled Duran Duran’s recent tour of the United Kingdom and Europe, the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as returning to the studio with Chic frontman Nile Rodgers — a musician the band had worked with before, including during the recording of the song "Notorious".
"It wasn’t easy to decide on the timing of such a step, but I am leaving on a real high," he said. "I couldn’t have wished for a better finale: there have been so many special moments that I will cherish forever. I am moving on with an enormous sense of pride."
He also added that he feels "nothing but love" for his bandmates — Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor.
Roger Taylor was one of the band’s original members, along with Nick Rhodes and John Taylor; Simon Le Bon and guitarist Andy Taylor joined them later. He took part in recording the band’s first three albums, which achieved enormous popularity in 1981–1983, became hits on both sides of the Atlantic and effectively launched an entire style — sophisticated pop in the spirit of the "new wave".
However, after performing with the band at the Live Aid concert, Taylor left the group. He later explained it this way: "It sounds like a cliché, but I needed to find myself. When you are in a band like that, you are seen primarily as part of a whole. It is easy to lose your own ‘self’."
In 1994, he briefly returned to the band, and in 2001 he became a permanent member again. With the group, he recorded six more albums, from "Astronaut" (2004) to "Danse Macabre" (2023).