Duran Duran Drummer Roger Taylor Retires at 66 as Tinnitus Worsens: 'One of the Hardest Decisions I've Ever Had to Make'
(Illustration: USA Current Affaires)
Duran Duran's beat is about to change forever. Founding drummer Roger Taylor has announced he is stepping down from the band and retiring from playing the drums altogether, after his tinnitus grew steadily worse.
The band shared the news on Thursday, November 12, in a statement posted to its social media accounts, saying the decision was made to protect Taylor's hearing and long-term health. Taylor, 66, spoke from his home in the United States, where he now lives.
"This is one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make," Taylor said. "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. 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."
"Going Out on a Real High"
Taylor said the timing had not been easy to work out, but he was leaving the band at a high point. "Figuring out the timing of all of this has not been easy, but I'm going out on a real high," he said. "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."
Tinnitus is a hearing condition in which a person hears ringing or other noises in one or both ears when no outside sound is present. It affects millions of people, and musicians are among those most at risk, because years of loud live sound can damage hearing. Taylor described his own condition as recently diagnosed and steadily worsening, until continuing to play live became impossible.
His bandmates — Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor — paid tribute in a joint statement of their own. "Roger is our brother," they said. "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 all of us."
Two Remarkable Chapters Behind the Kit
Taylor, born in Birmingham in 1960, joined Duran Duran in 1979, two years after the group formed. He played on the band's era-defining early records, including 1983's Rio, the album that turned the Birmingham band into global stars. He left in the mid-1980s, then returned for the celebrated reunion of the original line-up in 2001, writing and playing on six more albums and performing to millions of fans around the world.
Since that reunion, the band's honours have kept coming: induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November 2022, a second headline show at London's BST Hyde Park in July 2026, and a UK and European arena tour that ran through October 2026. The band has said new material is already underway in the studio with Nile Rodgers — but no replacement drummer has been named, and the group will continue as a trio of Le Bon, Rhodes and John Taylor.
Health news has shaped other music headlines this week too — Travis Barker recently revealed a precancer diagnosis finally made him quit smoking for good — while Lionel Richie returned to the stage after a heart procedure. For Duran Duran fans, though, this one cuts deepest: the steady, dance-driven backbeat that powered the band from Birmingham club stages to the top of the charts is now falling silent.
What is your favourite Duran Duran song — "Rio", "Hungry Like the Wolf", or a later classic? Share your memories in the comments.
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