LONDON, Nov 13 — Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor is stepping down from the group and will retire from drumming due to a “worsening of his recently diagnosed tinnitus”, the band said.

Formed in Birmingham, central England, in 1978, Duran Duran was one of the leaders of the UK “New Romantic” movement and enjoyed huge success in Britain and the United States in the 1980s.

With hits such as Girls on Film, Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf, the line-up of Taylor with frontman Simon Le Bon, keyboard player Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor helped define the music of the decade.

Announcing his retirement, the band said he had been “at the heart of Duran Duran’s sound across two remarkable chapters”.