The former Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor has revealed that his prostate cancer is “asymptomatic” after he was previously classified as needing “palliative, end-of-life care”.
The 62-year-old musician was diagnosed in 2018 with stage-four prostate cancer.
After being unable to join the rest of Duran Duran when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, Taylor spoke to a doctor who said there was a treatment for him that was targeted to detect only cancer cells.
He told the Times he had been given a round of medical intervention, in which radioactive chemicals are given intravenously.
Taylor called the scientist, Christopher Evans, who identified and recommended the treatment, , the “Elon Musk of cancer”.
He said he was “radioactive for several days” after each session and was unable to sleep in the same room as someone else.
Taylor said: “I was classified as palliative, end-of-life care … and now I’m not; I’m asymptomatic.”
His former bandmates – singer Simon Le Bon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor – were told about his diagnosis in a letter, which they read out to the audience at the Hall of Fame ceremony at the Peacock theatre in Los Angeles (formerly called the Microsoft theatre).
Taylor said of Le Bon: “It takes someone with a very special quality from their heart to do that and not drop a word. People don’t realise he’s actually quite a classy guy.”
When asked about returning to Duran Duran, he said: “No, I’m not going to rejoin the band … I would not say no to the opportunity [of playing part time], particularly for the fans, but as I keep reminding people, you have to be asked.”
After forming in Birmingham in 1978, Duran Duran were one of the biggest acts of the 1980s, with hits including Rio, The Wild Boys and Bond theme A View To A Kill.
The group released their 15th studio album, Future Past, in 2021 and are touring North America with special guests Nile Rodgers and Chic, and Bastille.
Taylor will next month release Man’s A Wolf To Man, his first solo album in decades.
