Duran Duran bassist Andy Taylor has praised King Charles for revealing his cancer diagnosis, saying the Royal’s honesty will save ‘millions of lives’.
The musician is currently battling stage four prostate cancer and is two-thirds of the way through his latest ground-breaking treatment.
Andy turned 63 on Friday, which will be his first birthday outside of the initial five-year life expectancy he was given after his diagnosis, which he credits to the advancement in medical science.
Andy believes Charles will also profit from the same benefits and says being open about his condition will encourage others, particularly men, to do likewise.
Speaking exclusively to , he said: ‘There are some amazing treatments for all sorts of cancers which couldn’t be done a few years ago so I imagine he’ll get the best of the best, as he should do.
Duran Duran bassist Andy Taylor has praised King Charles for revealing his cancer diagnosis, saying the Royal’s honesty will save ‘millions of lives’
The musician told : ‘It’s what a modern King should be doing and I’m sure it will save millions of lives.’
‘But the strength of what the King did was that if he can be humble and talk about it, then that will encourage others to do so, particularly men.
‘You can talk nonsense down the pub after a few pints, but you won’t talk about your health together? That has always baffled me.
‘So for the most famous man on the planet to open up, which would have been absolutely huge for him, it was bold. It was King-like.
‘It’s what a modern King should be doing and I’m sure it will save millions of lives.
‘Once you start talking about it then you find the generosity, care and hope from other people.’
Andy, who was one of the original members of Eighties band Duran Duran alongside singer Simon Le Bon, says his birthday will be a quiet one on the advice of his doctor, Sir Chris Evans, who has been overseeing his radiotherapy treatment which includes six-to-eight weekly doses of ‘nuclear medicine’ which kills the cancer in his prostate after its spread to his bones.
He jokes: ‘I’ve got to be careful, because I have treatments that go into my bones – I can’t be pulling an Elvis.
‘You have to avoid those lovely pints and take it easy.
‘I’ve had that official warning off Sir Chris, because it’s a skeleton thing you’ve just got to be careful.’
The rock star, who was told to prepare for end-of-life care, said he has undergone ‘two round of new treatment’ and he has back singing and dancing again (L-R Duran Duran’s Roger Taylor, Simon Le Bon, Andy Taylor and John Taylor in 1981)
Andy admits the type of cancer he’s fighting would not have been treatable until recently and says patients had to just ‘live and die with it.’
He’s been well enough to help organise several charity bashes to raise money for Cancer Awareness Trust, including an event last October which featured Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant performing the band’s classic hit Stairway To Heaven for the first time in 16 years with Andy on bass.
This week, the veteran rocker admitted in a new interview it’s unlikely he’ll ever play it again, meaning Andy’s bash will go down in music history.
He says: ‘Robert told us he was never going to perform it again before our event and I understand why, when you write something when you are younger, you don’t necessarily believe in it now.
‘But because of the charitable nature of what we were doing he said ‘let’s give it a go’.
‘It was amazing and I didn’t know that he hadn’t played it for so long.
‘All I was concerned with was trying to play it with him as my fingers were screwed after I had a fall.
‘But it was very generous of his spirit to do that.’
Andy is stepping up his fundraising efforts by organising an online auction where bidders can compete for an original Banksy painting, which will be presented to them by himself, Robert and Sir Chris at Claridges Hotel in London.
And flights and accommodation will be laid on for the winner to collect the artwork.
‘It didn’t exist five years ago’: Earlier this year Andy told how he’s to undergo ‘nuclear therapy’ after being diagnosed with cancer
Money from the successful bid will go towards the global fundraising efforts to launch the first version of Cancer Platform – a free website and app directing people to specific, trusted and expert information quickly and easily.
On the sought-after painting, Andy says: ‘We had a Banksy knocking about so I thought, let’s give it away.
‘Banksys are much beloved and this one has a military theme so it’s quite apt at the moment.
‘The art lover or the member of the public who gets it will make themselves a little better off.’
Bullet point – visit the crowdfunder website for information on how to bid.
Or you cluld just wack the link in https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/banksy-have-a-nice-day#start