Duran Duran has revealed their former guitarist Andy Taylor is battling Stage 4 prostate cancer. The legendary band made the shocking announcement in a speech as they were admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony in LA on Saturday.
The 61-year-old was absent as the band produced a special performance of some of their biggest hits at the ceremony. The British new wave band, once dubbed the Fab Five by Rolling Stone magazine, were inducted as part of the Class of 2022. Duran Duran received the most public votes, tallying 934,880 in their first-ever nomination, the Mirror reports.
They join the likes of Carly Simon, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie and Eminem in being admitted to the Hall of Fame this year. Taylor, who is reportedly four years into a fight with advanced prostate cancer, was not present but was mentioned.
"I'm truly sorry and massively disappointed I couldn't make it," Taylor said in a letter read from the stage by Simon LeBon. "I'm sure as hell glad I'm around to see the day."
LeBon added in an interview with cleveland.com : "I was blown away by the dedication and the application and the sheer determination of our fans and everybody else who voted for us, keeping us in that number one slot for almost the entirety of the public vote. I am so grateful to all those people for doing that because it’s shone a light on us and it’s shone a light catches in the mind of all the people who are voting."
Guitarist Andy joined the band in 1980, two years after they formed. He joined Duran Duran alongside lead singer Simon. Andy and drummer Roger Taylor left Duran Duran before the recording of their fourth album, Notorious, in 1986 before coming back for a full reunion in 2001.
This led to a number of successful tours and the 2004 album Astronaut, which reached number three in the UK album charts. Andy left the band again in 2006.
As well as gaining global success with Duran Duran, Andy and bassist John Taylor joined with former Chic member Tony Thompson and Robert Palmer to form the band Power Station in 1985. Their eponymous album reached the top 20 in the UK and the top 10 in the US
Andy has also embarked on a solo career, recording the hit single Take It Easy, which was used as the theme song to the film American Anthem. He also contributed to the Miami Vice II soundtrack with the song When The Rain Comes Down.
