Bobby Taylor, a veteran drummer in St Louis's rock scene, has died aged 58 after a cancer battle that began with a 2021 diagnosis. His wife, Jami Taylor, announced his death on Facebook on 6 November.

She said he had continued fighting while receiving hospice care. Her tribute described a husband who had held on until the end, and offered no details about his final days.

'Love is knowing when to let go,' Jami wrote. 'Even the hospice nurses couldn't believe what they were witnessing with his tenacity to fight and hold on!' She added that they would be together again one day.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Bobby Taylor: A Force on Stage

Tributes followed from across the St Louis music community. Jamming.LIVE STL described Taylor as an 'absolute BEAST behind the drums,' praising his energy, talent and presence on stage. The group also remembered him as a kind person who loved his wife.

Foreplay, whose statement described Taylor as an original member, called him 'a bandmate, a brother, a friend and an enormously talented drummer.' The band said his arrival felt like finding 'the missing piece of a puzzle' and that he made the group complete.

That tribute spoke to the importance of his place in the band, as well as his playing. Foreplay said Taylor loved performing with them and would be remembered for the 'magic' that began when he joined.

Mean Street's members also honoured him, calling him a 'phenomenal drummer and person.' Taylor played in several local rock acts, including Rebel Train, Ragdoll 2.0, Fallen Angel and Pyromaniacs. He was also a member of Slide It In, a Whitesnake tribute band.

Jamming.LIVE STL said his legacy would remain in the music and memories he left behind. The stages, it wrote, would be 'a little quieter without Bobby.' The tributes came from fellow musicians who had worked with him, not simply from fans recalling his performances.

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He Spoke Candidly About Cancer

Taylor discussed his illness on the Rock, Recovery, and Real Talk with Bobby Taylor podcast in an episode titled 'The End is Near, so Let's Drink Beer.' He said he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in 2021.

'I just tell people I want off this ride,' he said.

Taylor said a lump beneath his jaw developed into other lumps and later spread to his lungs. He said he had undergone radiation five times, chemotherapy five times and two immunotherapy treatments, and had taken part in a targeted-treatment study.

He also said the Mayo Clinic declined to operate on his lungs because he was 'too far gone.' The account was made by Taylor during the interview. No response from the clinic was included in the supplied material.

'I've been beaten since 2022, man,' Taylor said. He also spoke about continuing to pay his mortgage and play with his band while living with the illness.

Taylor recalled a friend's daughter who died of leukaemia aged 11. 'So, who am I?' he said.

In her Facebook tribute, Jami Taylor thanked people who had supported the couple since his diagnosis and wrote that her heart was 'completely broken.'

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