Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor says he will leave the band because his tinnitus has been getting steadily worse.
In a statement reported by The Guardian, Taylor called it one of the hardest decisions he had ever made. “I’ve reached the point where I must now listen to my body and my doctors,” he said, describing playing drums in the band as the joy of his life.
His bandmates said they supported the decision, which followed medical advice, and would continue with the group. “We completely support his decision and wish him health and happiness,” they said, according to BBC.
Taylor said he was leaving on a high after a UK and European tour, the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and a return to the studio with Nile Rodgers. He left Duran Duran in 1985, briefly rejoined in 1994 and returned permanently in 2001.
