The China Mail - Duran Duran to reunite with original guitarist Andy Taylor

The band said Taylor, who was diagnosed with stage four metastatic prostate cancer last year, would join them "for a few tracks".

Taylor, whose rock- and funk-inspired riffs drove dance floor hits such as "Girls on Film" and "Rio", left Duran Duran in 1986 to pursue other projects.

He had been due to reunite with his former bandmates for their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the US last November.

But instead frontman Simon Le Bon read a message in which Taylor revealed his cancer diagnosis.

Duran Duran -- Le Bon, keyboard player Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor -- said they were "thrilled" at the announcement.

The new project is due for release later this year, they said on Twitter late on Monday.

"The new recordings will feature extended Duran Duran family and friends, old and new, including our former bandmate Andy Taylor who will join us on guitar for a few tracks," they said.

Duran Duran, formed in Birmingham, central England, in 1978, enjoyed huge success in Britain and the United States, and have been seen as innovators in the then new medium of music videos.

B.Clarke--ThChM