Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor has stage four metastatic prostate cancer.
Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor has stage four metastatic prostate cancer
The 61-year-old was diagnosed four years ago and his bandmate Simon Le Bon fears he will not be “around for very long”.
Duran Duran broke the news at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday (05.11.22) at the Microsoft Theatre, Los Angeles.
Andy had been due to reunite with singer Simon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor at the event but said he had been hit with a “setback” that made travelling from his house in Ibiza to LA too physically and mentally taxing.
The band read out a letter at the ceremony from Andy in which he revealed he had undergone life-extending treatment for his cancer.
It said: “Just over four years ago I was diagnosed with stage four metastatic prostate cancer.
“Many families have experienced the slow burn of this disease and of course we are no different; so I speak from the perspective of a family man but with profound humility to the band, the greatest fans a group could have and this exceptional accolade.
“I have the ‘Rodgers and Edwards’ of doctors (Duran Duran producers Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards) and medical treatment that until very recently allowed me to just rock on.
“Although my current condition is not immediately life-threatening there is no cure.
“Recently I was doing OK after some very sophisticated life-extending treatment, that was until a week or so ago when I suffered a setback, and despite the exceptional efforts of my team, I had to be honest in that both physically and mentally, I would be pushing my boundaries.”
Simon, 64, said: “It is absolutely devastating news to find out that a colleague, no not a colleague, a mate, a friend, one of our family, is not going to be around for very long.
“We love Andy dearly and I’m not going to stand here and cry. I think that would be inappropriate but that’s what I feel like.”
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