Roger Taylor steps down from Duran Duran and retires: “This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make”
Duran Duran‘s Roger Taylor has announced that he’ll be “stepping down from the band and retiring from playing the drums”.
The news of the pop icons’ sticksman calling it a day comes “following a worsening of his recently diagnosed tinnitus,” the band explained of his condition that can lead to severe hearing loss. Taylor joined the band in 1979 until 1985 in his first run, then rejoined the new wave pioneers in 2001 until his retirement announcement today (Thursday November 12).
“Roger has been at the heart of Duran Duran’s sound across two remarkable chapters,” the band said in a statement. “He played on the band’s era-defining early records, then returned for the celebrated reunion of the original line-up in 2001, writing and playing on six additional chart-topping albums and performing with them to millions of fans around the world.
“After careful consideration and medical advice, he has decided that protecting his hearing and long-term health must now come first.”
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The drummer spoke to fans, calling the the move “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,” the 66-year-old shared. “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.”
The three remaining members of Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor went on to pay tribute to their “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,” they added. “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.”
Duran Duran’s last album was ‘Danse Macabre’ before this year saw them release the one-off single ‘Free To Love‘ with longtime collaborator Nile Rodgers. They just wrapped their 2026 UK and European arena tour, which saw them joined by The Strokes’ guitarist Nick Valensi on stage in Paris.
Attention now turns to their summer 2027 plans, with the band refusing to play Glastonbury unless they headline the Pyramid Stage.
In 2023, the band expressed similar sentiments when speaking to NME about the chances of them playing Glasto. “I’d love to [do it] – we just need to get the right slot, that’s all,” Le Bon said. “We have had the chance to do it before, but it wasn’t playing the main stage and I think we’d like to be doing that for sure,” he added. “I’m sure we’re in negotiations [with Glastonbury], and if not, we will be.”
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