Music band member has the disease

The former guitarist of famed British music band Duran Duran Andrew Arthur Taylor has been diagnosed with stage four cancer with no cure.

The Times reported the news on Monday, citing a letter from Taylor, 61, which his band read out on Saturday at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in the US.

"Just over four years ago I was diagnosed with stage four metastatic prostate cancer. Many families have experienced the slow decline from this disease, and certainly we were no exception," Taylor wrote.

It's worth noting that due to his condition, he was unable to attend the ceremony in Los Angeles with his former Birmingham bandmates keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor, drummer Roger Taylor and vocalist Simon Le Bon.

The ceremony was to be the first time the five-piece band from Birmingham had played together in 17 years, having last reformed for a world tour and the Astronaut album in 2004.

The band were the first act introduced during Saturday's ceremony and took to the stage, performing their 1981 breakthrough hit Girls On Film. They continued with a set that included Hungry Like the Wolf and Ordinary World, before tackling Taylor's absence by reading a letter.

Taylor added that he was "truly sorry and very disappointed" that he couldn't attend the ceremony, noting that he had even bought a new guitar for the occasion, but that he was "very proud of the four brothers" and "very happy" that they were accepting the award.

"Although my current condition is not life-threatening at the moment, there is no cure," admitted the musician, who said that despite complex therapies to prolong his life, he had suffered a deterioration a week ago.

The band was founded in 1978 in Birmingham and quickly rode the new musical wave, becoming one of the brightest representatives of the second British Invasion.