Rising country music star Taylor Dee has died following a rollover car crash in Texas.
The death of the 33-year-old musician was confirmed by Linda Wilson, president of the Texas Country Music Association, to KTVT.
“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 a statement.
“In every performance, her talent was evident, but more importantly she allowed her fans to know her heart. She will be missed tremendously.”
Authorities say Dee was killed in the crash on 14 March on State Highway 183 near Euless, Texas.
Euless City Police Department Chief Mike Brown said that investigators believe Dee was attempting to exit to Highway 360 when she may have missed the turn.
“She struck a barrier,” the police chief said.
Dee was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown out of her 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer.
A male passenger in the car, who was wearing a seatbelt, survived with minor injuries – though Euless authorities declined to identify the passenger.
Dee, whose legal name is Taylor Dawn Carroll, was the mother of two young children – her son, Vayden, and daughter, River.
Her first single, The Buzz, was released in 2019 and became a hit on local Texas radio stations.
Police say that the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office is performing a toxicology screen and the case is pending.
A GoFundMe account created following her death has raised more than $12,000 toward its $15,000 goal.
It describes Dee as “a shining star who was going to make it in this world and chasing her dreams like the rest of us wish we could”.
“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,” the page reads. “She will be forever loved and missed.”
