Country singer Taylor Dee was killed in a rollover car crash in Euless, Texas, her family says. Dee, whose full name Taylor Dawn Carroll, was 33. Dee crashed her SUV while driving on State Highway 183 on March 14, 2021, CBS DFW reports. She is survived by a young son and daughter.
Authorities told CBS DFW that the singer was driving eastbound about 10:30 p.m. on the toll road when she tried to take the exit to Highway 360 and appears to have missed the turn by a split-second, causing her to slam into a barrier. The crash caused her SUV to rollover and hit an overhead sign. Euless Police told the news station Dee was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. A passenger in the vehicle suffered minor injuries and is expected to recover. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office is performing a toxicology screen and the investigation is ongoing.
Linda Wilson, the president of the Texas Country Music Association, said in a statement, “Taylor Dee was the real deal – a true talent with a heart and passion not only for her music but for people,” she said. “In every performance, her talent was evident, but more importantly she allowed her fans to know her heart. She will be missed tremendously.”
Taylor Dee Released Her First Single in 2019 & She Was Scheduled to Release an Acoustic EP, ‘Why Would I,’ Soon
According to her website and social media profiles, Taylor Dee released her first single, “The Buzz” in June 2019, and it earned airplay on several radio stations in her home state of Texas. Her first album, with the same name, was released later that year in September. According to her last Instagram post, from February 24, 2021, she had an upcoming acoustic EP. She wrote in the post, “New music alert! Acoustic EP dropping soon!!!! Who’s ready?! ❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰”
She wrote on her website that she worked on her album with songwriter Chad Roland and fellow musician Amy Johnson, and they accomplished her dream of recording an album in Nashville, Tennessee. She said in a press release about the album in 2019, “I am so proud of the record we have created. I have put everything I have, and every dollar to my name creating this record for myself and my fans. The pressure I felt to record something great, pushed me to the max and I cannot wait for the world to hear it.”
Her website says:
Faith in her dream at times has been a struggle. It is a constant struggle that every touring musician battles: The rollercoaster of how live show attendance, record sales, and ticket count are the benchmark of how performers are judged in this business, and the toll the site of the audience can take on their heart each night. Naturally, doubt can enter ones mind in any given situation. But Taylor Dee holds on to faith and trusts the path God has chosen for her.
According to her website, “Taylor Dee is an independent artist. Since the record has been released Taylor Dee has been touring all over Texas and Tennessee! She has played the big time honky Tonks, before the JMA Awards, Rodeos, private parties, and festivals! She has a 5 piece band, Shots Fired. They are coming to be known as the best band in the Dallas area. They bring tons of energy and songs that are different, yet still bringing back the real classic country.”
Dee, “as nominated Best Female Vocalist of the Year in 2019 Josie Awards, and several of her songs are up for awards in 2020 for Best Songs Texas Country Music Association. She also has The Buzz featured on a compilation CD of the Greatest Texas Hits in 2019! Taylor Dees ‘Laying down the Law’ was also voted Top 10 songs of 2019 on Pro Country!” She also won group of the year at the Josie Music Awards in 2020 and was set to perform at the Texas Internet Radio Awards in May 2021.
She Was Born in Garland, Texas, & Began Singing When She Was a Child
Taylor Dee was born in Garland, Texas, according to her website. The “about Taylor” section says she, “grew up in a broken home, with her older brother Chad, and her mom. Things were very hard for her as a child amongst all of the fighting between her parents, and her family being very poor…Taylor turned to music for healing. It became her safe place.”
The website adds, “She was very quiet and shy as a kid and just kept to herself journaling, writing poetry, and listening to all of her favorite artists. Some of which included, Janis Joplin, The Judds, Shania Twain, Pam Tillis, Conway Twitty, along with pop artists such as Christina Aguilera, Adele, and Jewel.”
According to her website, she began singing when she was 12, successfully auditioning for the All State Regional Choir. She performed in choirs and bands during high school and after graduating in 2005 began pursuing a career as a professional musician, her website says. She auditioned for “American Idol” in 2009 and “The Voice” in 2015.
Roland, her friend and musical partner, said in a statement, ““I first met Taylor in October 2018 but it felt as if we knew each other many lifetimes. Since then we have played music, laughed, shared stories and a few secrets, wrote, cried, toured, prayed and fought. Needless to say we were close. We genuinely loved each other, and we hoped that love spilled into the music.”
A GoFundMe Has Raised More Than $10,000 for Her Family
Taylor Dee is survived by her two young children, a son, Vayden, and her daughter, River, according to Texas Newsroom.
Amy Johnson wrote on Facebook about a GoFundMe that has raised more than $10,000 for her family, “I want to thank everyone for the continued outpour of love for Taylor Dee and her family. Many of you have asked how you can help. We are organizing several benefits and we need items for the auctions. All proceeds will go into a trust for her children. We also need volunteers to help at the benefits. If you want to help, please message me.”
The GoFundMe says, “Taylor Carroll aka Taylor Dee was a shining star who was going to make it in this world and chasing her dreams like the rest of us wish we could. She was a great mother of two beautiful children that she will be leaving behind. She could make you laugh about the craziest things. Her spirit was so free and she had a voice that the angels could hear. She had your back even when you didn’t know it. Her laugh is something you can hear when she says LOL. She will be forever loved and missed. She left this world sooner than any of us were ready for. Please help our family be able to lay her to rest.”
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