ROY TAYLOR, WHOSE band represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest, has died following a battle with motor neuron disease (MND).
Jump the Gun, with whom he was a bassist, represented Ireland in the contest in 1988 with the song ‘Take Him Home’. They finished in eighth place.
Taylor’s family wrote on the Facebook page for his MND charity Watch Your Back that “he achieved so much in the fight” against the disease.
“His work has helped the world get closer to be free of MND, and for that we are bursting with pride,” the statement said, adding that Taylor was “an amazing dad and amazing person and an amazing musician”.
Taylor’s family are avid campaigners and fundraisers for MND through the Watch Your Back charity. They also supported former RTÉ journalist Charlie Bird ahead of his ‘Climb With Charlie’ initiative, along with Louth native Seán Woods who also has MND.
The campaign has raised over €2 million for the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and mental health charity Pieta.
Watch Your Back was also featured on a special one-off Dundalk FC jersey to raise awareness and funds for those with MND.
The club paid tribute to Taylor yesterday.
Sad news. Roy Taylor, an avid campaigner and fundraiser for Motor Neurone Disease, has sadly passed away after a long fight with the illness.
— Dundalk FC (@DundalkFC) June 1, 2023
We send our deepest condolences to the Taylor family who worked with us closely to raise funds for @watchMND last year.
RIP, Roy. pic.twitter.com/jSMn7GSK1s
Taylor was born in Dublin but Dundalk was his adopted home.
Taylor told the Dundalk Democrat newspaper in 2020 that music was the only “firepower” he had against MND, and that his son Terence helped him to continue engaging with his craft when he was no longer able to play instruments.
He said: “I do it all in my head and I get my son to play the chords for me. It’s a little bit more difficult. It’s like working out maths in our head. But I can do it.”
MND is a rare, progressive neurological condition that attacks the motor neurones, or nerves, in the brain and spinal cord. This means the neurones’ ability to transmit messages from the brain to the muscles is diminished, leading to weakness and wasting. There is currently no cure for the disease.
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