# Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor quits over tinnitus

> Roger Taylor steps down from Duran Duran after decades with the new wave pioneers, citing worsening hearing damage that forced him to heed medical advice.
- Title: Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor quits over tinnitus
- Summary: Roger Taylor steps down from Duran Duran after decades with the new wave pioneers, citing worsening hearing damage that forced him to heed medical advice.
- Keywords: roger taylor, duran duran, tinnitus, drummer, new wave, band departure, the Guardian
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/music/2026/nov/12/duran-duran-drummer-roger-taylor-leaves-band-due-to-tinnitus
- Published: 2026-11-12T17:44:44+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: roger taylor, duran duran, tinnitus, drummer, new wave, band departure, news, world
## Duran Duran drummer steps down
Roger Taylor is leaving Duran Duran due to worsening tinnitus. The drummer says he must now listen to his body and his doctors after decades with the new wave band.

> I must now listen to my body and my doctors
## Taylor's early years shaped the sound
Taylor was one of the earliest members alongside Nick Rhodes and John Taylor, later joined by Simon Le Bon and Andy Taylor.
## A departure and return
After playing Live Aid with the group, Taylor left in the mid-1980s. He briefly rejoined in 1994, then permanently in 2001, recording six more albums from 2004's Astronaut to 2023's Danse Macabre.
## Going out on a high note
Taylor spoke warmly of Duran Duran's recent UK and Europe tour, their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and a return to the studio with Chic bandleader Nile Rodgers.

> I'm going out on a real high
## Key takeaway

Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor is leaving the band due to worsening tinnitus, ending a career spanning the group's most successful era and recent resurgence.