Duran Duran say former guitarist Andy Taylor “fighting as hard as he can” in cancer battle
Duran Duran have issued an update on Andy Taylor’s battle with cancer, saying the former guitarist is “fighting as hard as he can”.
Taylor has been living with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer, which is incurable, since 2018. The musician played with Duran Duran on-and-off between 1980 and 2006, and was set to reunite with them last year when they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, but a setback in his treatment forced him to miss the occasion.
Now, the band have shared an update on his health during an appearance at the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy last night (February 13).
Vocalist Simon Le Bon told fans at the event’s press conference: “I am sure he would love to be here. As you probably know, he’s got prostate cancer. It’s very late stage, fourth-stage metastasised cancer. He’s fighting as hard as he can, and we are with him in that fight,” he said at the event’s press conference,” per Joe.
He continued: “There is something between us that keeps us together. First of all, we love the music we make together. Nobody else makes music like we do. We’ve all tried to do things on our own, and it just doesn’t seem as exciting as when the four of us get together and work
“We make each other laugh, and I think that’s very important in a long relationship. When we are under stress, we laugh all the way through it, and it keeps everything light and fun. And the other thing is, we split all the proceeds equally. No one takes all the publishing. We all share the finances equally.”
Though Taylor’s cancer is incurable, in 2023 he said that he is taking Lutetium-177, which he described as “a nuclear medicine” and said has extended his life by five years.
“It can’t see healthy cells,” he said at the time (via BBC News). “It kills stage four cancer in your bones. And so what it’s effectively done is extend my life for five years.”
As for the rest of the band, Duran Duran will play two huge shows in Ireland later this year, which will see support from Nile Rodgers and Chic. They come as part of their world tour, which also includes two stops in the UK. Find a list of upcoming tour dates below and visit here to get tickets.
Duran Duran’s 2025 live dates are:
JUNE
30 – Malahide Castle, Dublin, Ireland [NEW]
JULY
01 – Cork, Virgin Media Park, Ireland [NEW]
03 – Exeter, Powderham Castle, UK
05 – Chelmsford, Chelmsford City Racecourse, UK
Back in 2023, the band spoke to NME about how they would love to play at Glastonbury – something they have surprisingly not yet done. “I’d love to [do it] – we just need to get the right slot, that’s all,” Le Bon said.
“We have had the chance to do it before, but it wasn’t playing the main stage and I think we’d like to be doing that for sure. I’m sure we’re in negotiations [with Glastonbury], and if not, we will be.”