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Nicole Taylor, a country singer and one-third of the identical triplet trio Taylor Red, which built a massive following on TikTok and Youtube, has died after a battle with breast cancer. She was 35.
Taylor died Sept.
28 at her home in Nashville, Tenn., according to a statement on the group’s website. Her sisters and bandmates, Nika and Natalie Taylor, announced her death in an emotional video posted Monday, Nov. 2.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our sister Nicole Taylor,” Nika said in the video. “We honestly thought she’d be healed here on earth, but now she’s healed in heaven.”
Nicole was diagnosed with an aggressive form of stage 3 breast cancer in 2022. Although she initially responded well to chemotherapy and was declared to have no evidence of disease, the cancer eventually returned and progressed to stage 4. Doctors gave her three months to live following the diagnosis, but she lived for another year.
“She tried not to live in fear, remained really hopeful,” Natalie said. “She traveled, she tried to live life, she worked really hard, she tried to have fun.”
Born and raised in southern Mississippi, Nicole formed Taylor Red with her identical triplet sisters, Nika and Natalie. The siblings began performing together in 2010 under the name Red Roots, releasing three albums before rebranding as Taylor Red in 2018. Known for their genre-blending country music and tight harmonies, the sisters played guitar, banjo, fiddle and mandolin.
The trio later found a new audience on social media, where their synchronized performances, musical covers and comedy bits helped them amass millions of followers.
In 2020, Varietyfeatured Taylor Red in a reportexamining how female country and pop groups were using TikTok to build audiences outside traditional industry channels, alongside acts like Avenue Beat and Four Diamonds. Their 2021 song “Country Money” became one of their best-known releases.
In their tribute, Nika and Natalie remembered Nicole, the oldest member of her sisters by minutes, as their “fearless leader” and best friend.
“Nicole, the oldest of us three sisters, will be greatly missed,” they wrote on the group’s website. “She was our leader and our best friend. We are heartbroken, but we know she is in Heaven and will see her again.”
The sisters said Nicole remained devoted to her Christian faith throughout her illness, continuing her exercise, travel and work even while undergoing treatment.
The family has held a private funeral service. In lieu of flowers, fans are encouraged to make donations in Nicole’s memory to Samaritan’s Purse, one of her favorite charities.
