Roger Taylor, drummer for New Romantic new wave champs and ’80s pop rock icons Duran Duran, has made the decision to leave the band.
The band’s iconic drummer made the call because of worsening tinnitus, which has been plaguing him for quite a while now. Tinnitus is a symptom (not a disease) in which you perceive sound (beeping, hissing, ringing, roaring or popping) in your ears or head without any external sound source.
Roger and Duran Duran each put out their own separate official statement on the matter, posted on social media (you can find the original below).
Roger joined Duran Duran at the end of 1979, when the five-piece settled into its golden lineup of Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor. He drummed on every track of the band’s most career-defining albums (the self-titled 1981 debut, 1982’s “Rio” and 1983’s “Seven And the Ragged Tiger”), which catapulted them into immortality as one of the most popular and recognizable pop bands of the ’80s. During that stretch the band also released the live album Arena, home to the famous single Wild Boys. After the band recorded the theme song for the James Bond movie “A View To A Kill”, Duran Duran split into two bands, Power Station and Arcadia, each with a completely different musical direction. Together with Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes, Roger recorded Arcadia’s only studio album, “So Red The Rose”, released in 1985.
When Duran Duran regrouped for the album Notorious (1986), Roger decided he was done working with the band. That held until 2001, when Duran Duran re-formed in none other than their golden-era lineup and recorded the album “Astronaut” (2004). Roger stuck with the band for another 22 years and played on every album they made after that.
In the eyes of countless fans, Roger Taylor is truly irreplaceable, and his departure definitely marks the end of an era for a band that will never be the same again.
With Roger gone, Duran Duran are officially a trio once again. Just like they were back in the days of the “Notorious” and “The Big Thing” albums.
Pictured: Roger Taylor during Duran Duran’s concert on 14 July 2012 at Križanke in Ljubljana (RockLine photo archive 2006-2026, all rights reserved). You can read the full concert review HERE.
