Duran Duran to reunite with Andy Taylor for new album
The guitarist has terminal prostate cancer
Last updated 21st Mar 2023
Duran Duran are reuniting with their terminally ill former guitarist Andy Taylor on their new studio album.
Back in November, Andy Taylor revealed that he was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer over four years ago.
Due to his ongoing treatment for the disease, he was unable to attend Duran Duran’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Los Angeles.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror over the weekend, Duran Duran’s John Taylor has revealed the band only found out about Andy’s condition two days before the Rock Hall ceremony.
John explained that the news of Andy’s illness has inspired them to work together again, and frontman Simon Le Bon is flying to Ibiza to work at the guitarist’s studio.
“When he dropped the bomb two days before the Hall of Fame, it was really shocking and terribly sad,” John Taylor said. “We’re working on an album right now that is going to be coming out at the end of the year and he’s playing guitar.
“Had he come to LA and just gone on the TV show, we probably wouldn’t have even thought about it. That (the album) happened as a result of this. There’s a lot of cover songs on the album, songs meaningful to us when we were kids. So having him be a part of that project is great.”
He continued: “LeBon is flying to Ibiza to work with Andy. I kind of wish I was there. I think it’ll be great.
“It’ll be really profound for them. They haven’t been in the studio together in maybe 10 to 20 years.”
Duran Duran have since issued a statement, reading: “Duran Duran are thrilled to confirm a special new music project is in the works, set for release later this year on BMG.
“The new recordings will feature extended Duran Duran family and friends, old and new, including our former bandmate Andy Taylor who will join us on guitar on a few tracks.”
Speaking to Channel 5 in January, Andy Taylor said that although his cancer is a “death sentence”, he’s determined to live his life to the full.
“I’ve made three albums since (my diagnosis) I went on the road with some friends of mine, the band Reef, and played some shows, which were fantastic,” he said. “I often say to people, every minute’s like an hour, every day’s like a week. You really want to get the most out of life.
“I’ve been very fortunate, I’ve had so much, in terms of living the dream, but because I do music, I think that’s probably really helped me to live with pessimism of an incurable disease.”
Taylor said that he although he had done “a lot of preparation” unite Duran Duran at the Rock Hall induction, he didn’t feel well enough to perform: “You lose all your testosterone in treatment – just that in itself, I bet most men don’t have a clue.”
Andy Taylor was a member of Duran Duran during the band’s commercial peak from 1980 until 1986, and he reunited with the band for four years during the early noughties.
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