Nicole Taylor, Taylor Red singer and instrumentalist, dies at 35

Nicole Taylor, a singer and instrumentalist in the country trio Taylor Red, died of breast cancer at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, her sisters announced. She was 35 and died on 28 September 2026.

Taylor performed with her identical-triplet sisters, Natalie and Nika Taylor, first as Red Roots. Nicole shared lead vocals and played guitar, violin and banjo on the group’s three albums. Their 2014 album Triplicity received a Dove Award nomination for Country Album of the Year.

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Reports differ on when the band formed as Red Roots: Deadline gives 2011, while the Press Association and Us Weekly give 2010. The group’s albums were Red Roots (2011), The Middle of Nowhere (2012) and Triplicity (2014).

The group changed its name to Taylor Red in 2018. It broke out on TikTok in 2021 with the song “Country Money,” Deadline said.

Nika said Nicole was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2022 and described it as very aggressive. The cancer later progressed to stage four. On the group’s memorial page, the sisters called Nicole, the oldest triplet, their leader and best friend and said they were heartbroken.

Deadline dated the sisters’ announcement 3 November; Us Weekly said they shared videos on Monday, 2 November, and also dated a YouTube video to that Monday. Both accounts place the announcement after Nicole’s death.