Duran Duran Drummer Roger Taylor Retires From Band Over Worsening Tinnitus

Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor, 66, announced Thursday that he is retiring from the band and from playing drums because of a worsening case of recently diagnosed tinnitus. The band released his statement on its website and social media, including Instagram. Taylor called it one of the hardest decisions he has ever made and said his tinnitus has been getting steadily worse, so he must listen to his body and his doctors. His final show with the band was at Movistar Arena in Madrid last Friday. Taylor said he is leaving on a high, after a UK and European tour, a second headline show at BST Hyde Park, the band's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction and a return to the studio with Nile Rodgers. He said he moves on with love for bandmates Simon, Nick and John. Taylor joined the band in 1980 and was born in Birmingham, England.

Left-leaning outlets HuffPost and Rolling Stone both build their reports around Taylor's statement. HuffPost adds context: a definition of tinnitus from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, a note that there is no cure, and a profile of Taylor's early drumming and hits like "Girls on Film" and "Hungry Like The Wolf." Rolling Stone's headline puts "Worsening" in quotation marks and its report quotes the full statement, including the career highlights. Right-leaning Fox News and the Washington Times also report the retirement and the tinnitus diagnosis. Fox's headline calls Taylor "forced to retire" and says his hearing is threatened, language the left-leaning headlines do not use. Its article also quotes the statement and attributes it to the band's Instagram. The Washington Times excerpt is a single sentence on the exit. Both sides agree on the facts and quotes; they differ in that the left adds medical and career background, while the right is briefer and sharper in its headline. Stereogum largely matches the others, adding the Madrid date.