Duran Duran Carries On Without Andy Taylor

Andy Taylor is out of Duran Duran again.

The British band's original guitarist left, or was more likely asked to leave, just before the group was to start a U.S. tour in Chicago on Thursday night. Duran Duran members Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes and the unrelated John and Roger Taylor issued this statement on their website on Wednesday:

"We know that there has been a tremendous amount of speculation over the past few weeks regarding Andy Taylor's continued involvement with the band and we are sorry that we've been unable to provide you with more information until now. The past five years have been an incredible journey for us all — and having the original five back together was something that we had wanted to see happen for some time. As of last weekend, however, the four of us have dissolved our partnership and will be continuing as Duran Duran without Andy, as we have reached a point in our relationship with him where there is an unworkable gulf between us and we can no longer effectively function together. Although obviously disappointed and saddened about this, we are excited about the next chapter of the Duran Duran story and look forward to seeing you all soon."

Dom Brown will replace Taylor for the upcoming American shows, which run until November 11.

Taylor played guitar on Duran Duran's first three studio albums, but left after 1986's Notorious. He rejoined the group five years ago.

Taylor was also a member of Power Station with John Taylor, singer Robert Palmer and drummer Tony Thompson in the '80s. While they had major hits with "Some Like It Hot" and "Get It On," and Duran Duran has a long list of smashes, Taylor's solo recordings have yielded little success.

Duran Duran will likely have a new album out early next year. The still untitled follow-up to 2004's Astronaut will feature contributions from Justin Timberlake and Timbaland.