Duran Duran’s Roger Taylor Announces Retirement

Roger Taylor is stepping down. Duran Duran's founding drummer announced his retirement from the band today, ending a run that saw him provide the backbeat for myriad classics and landed him in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. In a statement on the band's website and socials, Taylor, 66, reveals that he was recently diagnosed with tinnitus, and the worsening of the condition precipitated his exit from the group. His final show with the band was at Movistar Arena in Madrid last Friday.Here's his statement:This is 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. 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.Duran Duran are one of the defining acts of the new wave era, emerging from the UK post-punk landscape with a sleek, stylish dance-rock sound and a fantastically glammy look that made them fixtures of early MTV. Taylor became the band's first drummer in 1979, performing on the band's first three albums as they rose to global fame. He left the group in 1985 after Duran Duran's performance at Live Aid, the massive international charity concert, citing weariness with fame and the band's demanding schedule. Taylor rejoined the lineup in 2001 as Duran Duran reassembled the lineup from 1982's Rio and commenced a massively successful reunion tour. He has remained behind the kit up until now.