Country singer Nicole Taylor, one of the three identical triplets in the group Taylor Red, has died at the age of 35.
Her sisters Natalie and Nika announced the news in a YouTube video on Monday, revealing that Taylor passed away on September 28 following a breast cancer diagnosis. The sisters, originally from Nashville, Tennessee, shared a statement on their website.
Sisters pay tribute to 'leader and best friend'
In the statement, the sisters said: "Nicole, the oldest of us three sisters, will be greatly missed. She was our leader and our best friend. We are heartbroken, but we know she is in Heaven and will see her again."
In a video titled We Lost Our Triplet Sister Nicole, they said: "We are shocked and heartbroken to announce the passing of our sister Nicole Taylor." They added: "This isn't the video we thought we'd ever be making. You know, we thought she would be here sharing her story of earthly healing, but instead we're here sharing her story of heavenly healing and she's at peace and no longer suffering, so we're thankful for that."
Diagnosis and treatment journey
The sisters described Nicole as their "fearless leader" and noted that she "always spoke up for what was right" and had stood by their side throughout their lives. They disclosed that she received her initial breast cancer diagnosis in 2022 after a telephone call about her biopsy results from a hospital nurse.
Natalie recalled: "I just remember breaking down in absolute shock. I was just so surprised. We've been blessed with good health our whole life so this was a big shock and it wasn't what we were expecting. I was crying and ran out to the hallway to tell Nika and I just remember Nicola said, 'God's going to use this for his glory.'"
Nicole learned it was stage three breast cancer and an extremely aggressive form of the disease. Despite this, she maintained a positive outlook and had faith that God would see her through it.
Progression and final months
The sisters were told that Nicole was reacting favourably to treatment, but her breast cancer later progressed to stage four. After major surgery, she began treatment again, which the sisters described as "really scary".
Nicole was given a prognosis of three months following the treatment, but survived another year before passing away in September. Their 16.7 million subscribers expressed their devastation in the comments, with one writing: "You guys were so fun together. The first video I thought was editing and realized it was actually triplets. You three brought many smiles to me. Thank you, Nicole. I'm so sorry guys."
