Remembering Drummer Bobby Taylor and Tongue Cancer

What was reported

Bobby Taylor, a rock drummer from the St. Louis area, has died. He was 58.

USA TODAY reported that he died on November 5, 2026. His wife, Jami Taylor, shared the news in a Facebook post that day. "Rest in peace, my sweet beautiful husband," she wrote.

USA TODAY said he had a squamous cell carcinoma, a tongue cancer, found in 2021. It said he had lived with the cancer for five years. On a St. Louis podcast in November 2025, he talked about having stage 4 cancer. He said it began as a lump under his jaw and later spread to his lungs.

A life in music

He was best known as the drummer for Rebel Train. Reports also list Slide It In, a Whitesnake tribute band, and Ragdoll 2.0, Mean Street, Fallen Angel, Pyromaniacs and Foreplay.

What was not reported

Nothing was published about his treatment. This article does not guess at it.

Tongue cancer in brief

The tongue sits in two parts of the head and neck, and NCI groups them differently:

• The front two-thirds of the tongue is part of the mouth, or oral cavity. Cancer there is a type of lip and oral cavity cancer.
• The base of the tongue, at the back, is part of the throat (the oropharynx).

Reports did not say which part of his tongue was involved, so this page covers both.

NCI says most lip and oral cavity cancers start in squamous cells, the thin, flat cells lining the lips and mouth. These are called squamous cell carcinomas.

Risk factors

NCI says tobacco and alcohol are the two most important risk factors for head and neck cancers, especially cancers of the mouth. That includes smokeless tobacco and secondhand smoke.

Infection with certain types of HPV, especially HPV 16, is a risk factor for cancers of the tonsils and the base of the tongue. NCI says HPV appears to cause cancer only in that part of the throat, not in the mouth itself.

Having a risk factor does not mean you will get cancer. Nothing has been reported about any risk factors in Bobby Taylor's case.

Mouth changes worth checking

NCI lists these possible signs of lip and oral cavity cancer:

• A sore on the lip or in the mouth that does not heal.
• A lump or thickening on the lips or gums or in the mouth.
• A white or red patch on the gums, tongue, or lining of the mouth.
• Bleeding, pain, or numbness in the lip or mouth.
• A change in voice.
• Loose teeth, or dentures that no longer fit well.
• Trouble chewing or swallowing, or moving the tongue or jaw.
• Swelling of the jaw.
• A sore throat, or a feeling that something is caught in the throat.

These can be caused by other, more common problems. NCI advises checking with your doctor if you have any of them. Its fact sheet says a doctor or dentist can look at these symptoms.

When to see a doctor or dentist

Do not wait for a mouth sore, lump or patch that is not healing to go away on its own. Show it to your doctor or dentist.

If you have trouble breathing, call 911.

Is there a screening test?

There is no standard or routine screening test for mouth cancer. NCI says no studies have shown that screening for oral cavity cancer lowers the risk of dying from it.

Still, a dentist or doctor may check your mouth during a routine checkup, and NCI notes these cancers are sometimes found during a regular dental exam. NCI also says more than half of oral cancers have already spread to lymph nodes or other areas by the time they are found. That is one reason not to wait on a mouth change that is not healing.

Lowering your risk

NCI says people who use tobacco should talk with a doctor about ways to stop. Avoiding oral HPV infection can lower the risk of HPV-related cancers of the throat. In 2020 the FDA approved the Gardasil 9 HPV vaccine, under its accelerated approval program, to help prevent throat and other head and neck cancers caused by certain HPV types, for people aged 9 through 45.

More on this site

• Head and neck cancer
• Head and neck cancer: signs and symptoms
• Head and neck cancer risk factors
• Oral cancer screening
• Oral HPV and head and neck cancer risk
• How to read cancer statistics and news headlines

Sources

• USA TODAY via Yahoo: Longtime rock drummer Bobby Taylor dies at 58. Cause of death announced
• USA TODAY via Yahoo: Bobby Taylor, beloved rock drummer, dies at 58 after cancer battle
• NCI: Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer Treatment (PDQ) Patient Version
• NCI: Head and Neck Cancers fact sheet
• NCI: Oral Cavity and Nasopharyngeal Cancers Screening (PDQ)

How this article was prepared

An AI-assisted editorial system helped prepare this page. No named medical reviewer has reviewed it unless one is listed.

Cancer Explained is published by the National Cancer Information Foundation. It is not medical advice and does not suggest a test or treatment.

See an error, old source, or unclear wording? Tell us.