The entry of Duran Duran, the popular group of the 80s, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last morning, left fans with a bittersweet taste due to the fact that their original guitarist, Andy Taylor (61), was absent due to to his stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer.
During the ceremony in honor of the British band, held this morning in Los Angeles, its leader and singer, Simon Le Bon, read a letter in which the guitarist revealed that he was diagnosed with metastatic prostate four years ago and that a Last minute setback in his health prevented him from traveling to Los Angeles from Ibiza, where he currently resides, to play with his colleagues.
"Many families have experienced the slowness of this disease and of course we are no different," wrote Andy Taylor, who clarified that the disease "was not immediately life-threatening" but "there was no remedy."
"Despite the exceptional efforts of my team, I had to be honest because, both physically and mentally, I would be pushing my limits" by being present, the guitarist confessed.
"However, none of this should distract from what this band (with or without me) has accomplished and contributed to over 44 years," he wrote.
Speaking to the press behind the scenes, Simon Le Bon called the news "absolutely devastating". "We love Andy so much," the singer said. "I'm not going to stand there and cry, I think it would be inappropriate, but that's how we feel."
The band severed ties with Andy Taylor in 2006, citing an "unbridgeable gap" between the two.
Former member Warren Cuccurullo, who was originally scheduled to attend, was also not present, although in this case the reasons for his absence were not commented on.
Duran Duran, named after a character in the Jane Fonda film Barbarella, was formed in Birmingham in 1978 by keyboardist Nick Rhodes and bassist John Taylor, and joined a year later by drummer Roger Taylor. The lineup, completed in 1980 with the addition of guitarist Andy Taylor and singer Simon Le Bon, achieved mainstream success with their 1982 album Rio, followed by a string of MTV video hits including Planet Earth. , "Is There Something I Should Know” and “Hungry Like the Wolf” dominating the music channel.
Andy Taylor's funky guitar work was a driving force behind the band's popularity, with tens of millions of albums sold, including the Golden Globe-nominated song "A View to A Kill," from the James Bond movie. Bond of the same name.
The original five-piece band reformed for a sold-out world tour and album 'Astronaut' in 2004 and their performance last night would have been the first time they had played together in 17 years, the band's statement said.
