Duran Duran are getting back together with cancer-stricken Andy Taylor to make a new album.
Lead singer Simon Le Bon, 64, is set to work on tracks with former member Andy, 62, at the guitarist’s studio in Ibiza.
Andy has terminal stage 4 prostate cancer and his five-year battle became public when he was missing from the iconic band’s induction into the US Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November.
Later, dad-of-four Andy, who left the group in 2006, told a magazine: “It’s a death sentence… it’s a slow burn, so it’s not going to take you quickly.”
John Taylor, the bassist with Duran Duran – who had huge hits with Girls on Film and Rio – said: “When he dropped the bomb two days before the Hall of Fame, it was really shocking and terribly sad. We’re working on an album right now that is going to be coming out at the end of the year and he’s playing guitar.
“Had he come to LA and just gone on the TV show, we probably wouldn’t have even thought about it. That [the album] happened as a result of this. There’s a lot of cover songs on the album, songs meaningful to us when we were kids. So having him be a part of that project is great.”
John, 62, spoke at this week’s Unforgettable Evening in LA, which raised £1.6million for the Women’s Cancer Research Fund. Andy and wife Gela have long supported the gala, which honoured the support given by actress Sharon Stone.
The band – which also features Nick Rhodes, 60, and Roger Taylor, 62, and kicks off a UK tour in May – will record in LA and London. And John said: “LeBon is flying to Ibiza to work with Andy. I kind of wish I was there. I think it’ll be great.
“It’ll be really profound for them. They haven’t been in the studio together in maybe 10 to 20 years.”
John did not say if the comeback will be part of a documentary but said: “Somebody will have an iPhone on it.”
At the Unforgettable Evening event, Sharon Stone received the 2023 Courage Award, presented by Jamie Tisch, for her support of breast cancer research and dedication to raising awareness for the cause.
Meanwhile author Dr Stacie J. Stephenson and global merchant banker Richard J Stephenson together received the 2023 Unsung Hero Award, presented by Maria Bello and Dominique Crenn, for their unwavering commitment to fighting cancer and supporting patient-centred treatment and care.
In accepting the award, Dr Stephenson said: "We are so honoured to be named this year's Unsung Heroes, and while we may be taking home this beautiful, golden, crystal piece, we are sharing it eternally with each one of you and more."
The Women's Cancer Research Fund, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, supports the advancement of the world's most promising research directed at the development of innovative approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and metastasis of breast cancer. More information is available here.
