lit a candle 8h agoMy uncle used to blast Foreplay from his garage in Belleville every summer, Bobby just pounding away behind the kit. Heard about the lung part on that podcast last year and figured this was coming. 58 is too young.
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Bobby Taylor was a drummer who became one of the best known figures in the St. Louis rock music scene, most recently as a member of the band Foreplay. He died on November 9, 2026, after a years long battle with cancer, a fight he had spoken about publicly in…
Bobby Taylor was a drummer who became one of the best known figures in the St. Louis rock music scene, most recently as a member of the band Foreplay. He died on November 9, 2026, after a years long battle with cancer, a fight he had spoken about publicly in the final year of his life.
Taylor built his reputation over decades behind the drum kit in the St. Louis area, where he was described by those who knew him as a powerful, high energy performer. Local music outlet Jamming.LIVE STL remembered him as someone whose playing could command a room, and his bandmates in Foreplay said that when he joined the group it felt like finding a missing piece, a tribute to how completely he fit into the St. Louis rock community over the course of his career.
In 2021, Taylor was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. In November 2025 he appeared on the local podcast Rock, Recovery, and Real Talk with Bobby Taylor, alongside Foreplay bandmate Shaun Howard, where he spoke candidly about living with stage four cancer. He described how the illness had started as a lump beneath his jaw before spreading to other parts of his body, including his lungs, and he spoke about resilience, sobriety and faith as he confronted his diagnosis. He also spoke about the toll the illness took on his family beyond the physical fight, including the financial strain of prolonged treatment.
Taylor's death was announced by his wife, Jami Taylor, in a Facebook post in which she wrote that he had fought until the end, describing his tenacity as something that surprised even his hospice nurses. The announcement prompted an immediate wave of tributes from the St. Louis music community. Jamming.LIVE STL posted an online memorial calling him more than just a drummer, and his bandmates in Foreplay issued a statement saying they had lost a bandmate, a brother and a friend, and that his talent and presence would be remembered by everyone who saw him perform.
Taylor's exact age, full birth name and survivors beyond his wife have not been reported publicly as of this writing. Funeral or memorial arrangements have not yet been announced.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by Nacionale.
Photos
1by People Forever
Saw them at a street fair in Collinsville once, he hit harder than drummers half his age