Bobby Taylor, the St. Louis drummer behind multiple local rock bands including Rebel Train, has died at 58 after a five-year cancer battle.
Taylor's wife, Jami Taylor, announced his death in a Facebook post on Nov. 5.
"Love is… knowing when to let go," she wrote. "Rest in peace, my sweet beautiful husband. You don't have to fight or suffer anymore. Fly high, my love. We WILL be together again one day."
Bobby Taylor was the drummer behind many St. Louis groups, including the Whitesnake tribute band Slide It In, Ragdoll 2.0, Mean Street, Fallen Angel, Pyromaniacs and Foreplay, according to St. Louis Today.
Taylor, who was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, or tongue cancer, in 2021, detailed his stage four cancer diagnosis on the St. Louis podcast
"The End is Near so, Let’s Drink Beer" in November 2025.
"I had a lump under my jaw. And then they turned into other lumps and then it got into the lungs. And then I've done radiation five times I've done chemo five times, I've done two immunotherapies, a target study and a Partridge and a pear tree, man," he said at the time. "I don't want to compare myself to Jesus, but Jesus was beaten for a day. I've been beaten for four ... years man."
The musician credited his spirituality for how he was getting through the battle, which included "mouth sores and rashes that are so bad you can't describe it."
"And it's getting better now. My breathing is just [difficult] because it's all in my lungs. And I was just denied the Mayo Clinic to get lung surgery," he continued. "They said, 'You're too far gone.'"
Taylor's wife said he "fought until the bitter end."
"He was NOT going without a fight! Even the hospice nurses couldn't believe what they were witnessing with his tenacity to fight and hold on!" she wrote. "I don't know what else to say right now, other than thank you for all of your nonstop love and support. That truly is what kept him here for so long. But now he's home with God. And I will have to find a way to live without him."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bobby Taylor, beloved rock drummer, dies at 58 after cancer battle
