Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor quits band over worsening tinnitus

The announcement

Roger Taylor, the founding drummer of Duran Duran, has announced that he is leaving the band because his tinnitus has worsened. In a statement released on 12 November 2026, he called the decision one of the hardest he has had to make. Taylor, who is 66, said the condition had been diagnosed only recently and had kept getting worse. He will also stop playing the drums entirely. The departure followed medical advice from his doctors.

He explained the reasoning in his own words:

“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.”

Taylor said that working out the timing had been difficult, but that he was choosing to leave while on a high.

Career with the band

Taylor was among the band's earliest members, although sources differ on when he joined. The Telegraph says he was the drummer from the band's inception in 1978 until 1985, while RTE gives 1979 as the year he joined. He played on the band's first three albums, released between 1981 and 1983, which were transatlantic hits and helped establish glossy new wave pop. He left the group after playing Live Aid with it, and both the Telegraph and RTE place his departure in 1985. He briefly rejoined in 1994 and returned permanently in 2001. Since then he has recorded six more albums, beginning with Astronaut in 2004 and ending with Danse Macabre in 2023. His drumming also appears on hits such as Rio, Girls on Film and The Reflex, and on the 1985 James Bond theme A View to a Kill.

Final tour and recognition

Taylor pointed to a recent UK and European tour, the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a return to the studio with Nile Rodgers as highlights of his final period. He also cited a second headline slot at BST Hyde Park. He named the albums Future Past and Danse Macabre as touchstones of the band's recent work. Taylor closed his statement with a clear sense of his own departure.

“I couldn't have asked for a better final chapter, with so many special moments that I'll treasure forever.”

He also said he was moving on with enormous pride, and with nothing but love for his bandmates.

The band's response

Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor issued a joint statement backing Taylor's decision. The band wrote that it fully supported his choice and wished him health and happiness.

“Roger is our brother.”

The statement added that his drumming helped define the band's sound from the beginning, and that his return in 2001 had been important to all of them. The bandmates said Taylor would always be part of the family while the band continues exploring new projects. With his exit, Duran Duran will now effectively be a trio made up of Nick Rhodes, Simon Le Bon and John Taylor.