According to spin.com last November when rock band Duran Duran was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the band did reveal that former guitarist Andy Taylor is battling Stage 4 prostate cancer. Taylor has not performed with Duran Duran since 2006 and he initially had the intentions of joining the band for the ceremony but Taylor’s condition stopped him from attending the event.
Recently Taylor has discussed his condition in a interview with the U.K.’s 5 News, which Taylor urged men to get tested if they notice any symptoms of prostate cancer. The musician discussed about how he was diagnosed five years ago while going jogging.
“What you would think was as kind of maybe arthritic sort of pain.” Soon, he noticed growths that “felt like tumors” on his neck and had a biopsy done. Taylor recalled the moment he received the diagnosis: “I’m like, ‘Yeah, well, my dad had that. I understand.’ [The doctor] said, ‘But it’s stage 4, metastatic … which is a death sentence.’”
In regards to the Rock Hall ceremony Taylor mentions how he explained the situation to the the band and fans.
“I did a lot of preparation with those those fabulous people.” When Taylor knew he couldn’t attend the event, he came up with a back up option. “I wrote a letter to the band, just explaining the situation, and they very graciously, generously read that out before the ceremony. And that’s when it went public.”
Also during the interview Taylor mentioned he felt like telling others about his own health which gives Taylor a chance to talk about prostate cancer. He highly suggests that other men to get screened, and women should “give them a nudge, go get a test.”
As an update for Taylor’s health he states, “there’s some new treatments that can help me. And I just thought I’m just going to live life. … Every minute is like an hour, every day is like a week You really want to get the most out of life. And I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve had so much in terms of living the dream.”
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