Duran Duran retro: The reason behind their split in the 1980s - why Roger and Andy Taylor left

Duran Duran formed in Birmingham in 1978 and were catapulted into worldwide fame over the next six years. Not only were they massively popular in the UK but they also caught the eyes of American fans.

Just like all bands, they started touring around and it put a strain on their personal lives. They started feeling the pressure of recreating the success of hits like Rio. Moreover, some members have since spoken openly about how they fell prey to substance abuse.

In 1986, drummer Roger Taylor quit the band when it was all too much for him. About his departure, lead singer Simon Le Bon wrote in News of the World in 1987: “Roger didn’t exactly have a nervous breakdown, but you could see it coming. He was developing agoraphobia and fear of confronting people and being confronted by them. That caused a great big hole in our hearts, really.”

The drummer retired to English countryside and returned only in 2001. Roger told Spin magazine in 2022 that when he left he felt he was “done”.

He added: “I think that was it. I wanted to create a whole new life for myself that was outside the music business. I wanted to feel what normal life could be like. After joining the band at 19, the speed of the ascent of the fame and the reach of the band was not something that I ever foresaw. So I wanted some time where I want a bit of normal for a bit. But of course that can never really happen.

“Once you’ve been in a band like Duran Duran, you can never be a normal person again, because to everybody you’re known as ‘Roger Taylor from Duran Duran.’”

After Roger split in 1986, the next to go was Andy Taylor. Andy, the guitarist, recently revealed his cancer diagnosis - which he said is “terminal”.

About Andy’s departure, Simon Le Bon wrote in 1987: “I think Andy thought, well, one guy’s gone so isn’t that important any more. He used this as an excuse to back out on everything. What Andy always really wanted was to be centre-of-the-stage guitarist. He was bored or not satisfied being just the guitarist in Duran Duran. He wanted a lot more than that. So he started his own solo project going.”

In Daily Mail, Andy wrote in 2008 about the band’s substance abuse. He wrote: “The booze, the drugs and the carnage that surrounded my life in Duran Duran were all too much. I knew I was heading for a nervous breakdown if I didn’t change my lifestyle. That’s when I made up my mind that I’d just do the Bond video and get the hell out of there.”

Since then, both Roger and Andy returned in 2001. However, Andy left again in 2006.

The band was reported to have said: “We have reached a point in our relationship with him where there is an unworkable gulf between us and we can no longer effectively function together.”

They were supposed to reunite in 2022 for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction but Andy couldn’t make it. He revealed he was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. However, he is determined to live life to the fullest.