Nicole Taylor, one-third of the country trio Taylor Red, died Sept. 28 after a battle with breast cancer, according to announcements from her sisters and bandmates reported by NBC News, Good Morning America and TODAY.

Nika and Natalie Taylor shared the news in a video posted Monday, Nov. 2, saying, "We are shocked and heartbroken to announce the passing of our sister. She's at peace and no longer suffering."

The family held a private funeral service, and a memorial on the band's website calls Nicole, the eldest triplet by minutes, "our leader and our best friend."

The Mississippi-born identical triplets built their career together from the ground up, forming Red Roots in 2010 and releasing a self-titled debut album in 2011, followed by "The Middle of Nowhere" in 2012 and "Triplicity" in 2014, per Good Morning America.

After signing with Inpop Records in 2015 they became Taylor Red and moved to Nashville, where their 2021 song "Country Money" went viral on social media and made the trio a massive online following. The trio also appeared at "Opry 100: A Live Celebration" at the Grand Ole Opry House in March 2025.

Fans knew them as a unit, which is why losing one triplet reshapes the band's entire identity.

TODAY reports that Nika and Natalie Taylor announced Nicole's death in a video posted Nov. 2, explaining they had hoped she would recover and share her story herself.

"This isn't the video we thought we'd ever be making," Natalie said. "We thought she would be here sharing her story of earthly healing, but instead we're here sharing her story of heavenly healing."

Good Morning America notes the sisters described Nicole as having battled cancer "fearlessly," saying "We're not going to live in dread during all of this," and even doing CrossFit while undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

Nicole was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2022, a year after "Country Money" went viral, according to NBC News.

TODAY reports that in a 2023 SurvivorNet interview, Nicole recalled finding a lump in February 2022 that felt like "a little AAA battery," was told to return in six months, and by then it had doubled or tripled in size. She had no family history of breast cancer.

Good Morning America reports that after chemo she was declared "evidence without disease," but the cancer later progressed to stage 4; doctors gave her three months to live, and per her sisters she lived another year, saying "Everybody's gonna face judgment, and I'm ready to."

All three outlets emphasize the deep faith Nicole carried through her illness. TODAY reports that three days after her diagnosis, family and friends prayed for her daily at 3:18 p.m., honoring the triplets' shared birthday of March 18, 1991.

"I definitely believe God has worked miracles through this," Nicole said in that 2023 interview, hoping to offer others "some hope and some positivity." Nika told followers, per TODAY, "We know she's not suffering anymore, and we have God's promise of ultimate healing."