Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor is stepping down from the band and retiring from playing drums, the group announced on November 12, after a worsening of his recently diagnosed tinnitus. The 66-year-old founding member called it one of the hardest decisions of his life, saying he must now listen to his body and his doctors.
“This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Taylor said in a statement shared by the band. “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.”
Two eras behind the kit
Taylor, born in Birmingham in 1960, was Duran Duran’s founding drummer, joining in 1979 before the band’s commercial breakthrough. He played on the records that made the group one of the defining acts of the new wave era, then left in the mid-1980s at the height of their fame. He returned in 2001 for the reunion of the original line-up and has been behind the kit ever since, playing on the band’s six most recent studio albums, including 2023’s Danse Macabre.
His bandmates — Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor — responded with a joint statement calling him their brother. “Roger is our 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 all of us,” they said. The band confirmed the decision followed careful consideration and medical advice, with protecting his hearing and long-term health taking priority.
Going out on a high
Taylor said he was leaving on a high after a hugely successful UK and European tour that ran through October 2026, following the band’s second headline show at BST Hyde Park in London and their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. The band has also been back in the studio with longtime collaborator Nile Rodgers, working on new material.
With Taylor’s departure, Duran Duran continue as a trio of Le Bon, Rhodes and John Taylor, and attention now turns to their summer 2027 plans — the band have said they will not play Glastonbury unless they headline the Pyramid Stage. For Taylor, though, the sticks are down for good: the announcement makes clear he is retiring from drumming altogether, not taking a break. See also Queens of the Stone Age top UK albums chart and Coachella 2027: Dua Lipa, Tame Impala and SZA to headline.
