Timber Timbre’s Taylor Kirk dead at 44
Taylor Kirk, the creative force behind Canadian outfit Timber Timbre, has died aged 44.
The folk musician sadly died early last week on April 14th, a representative for Kirk confirmed in a statement to Canadian media.
The representative told Exclaim: “Taylor William Kirk, 44, of Orono passed away suddenly on April 14th. We are devastated by the profound loss of Taylor and we will miss him immensely.”
The heartbreaking statement continued, “Beloved son to Donna and David, brother to Caley and Emma, uncle to Arden, partner to Linda, nephew to Steve, Arlene, Randy, and Les. His memory will live on through his music that we are fortunate to have for the rest of our lives.”
No cause of death has been provided.
Kirk began performing as Timber Timbre in 2005, with the debut studio offering, Cedar Shakes, arriving a year later in 2006. Eventually, the project grew into a full collaborative band rather than being merely a vehicle for Kirk to express his artistry, allowing him to evolve as a songwriter.
Their 2009 self-titled effort saw Timber Timbre score huge acclaim, including being featured on the shortlist for the Polaris Music Prize, the Canadian equivalent of the Mercury Music Prize. Timber Timbre’s fourth and fifth records would also go on to be shortlisted for the prestigious award.
Timber Timbre’s final album, Lovage, arrived in 2023. Their final tour took place across Europe in early 2025.
During an interview with the Ottawa Shoebox in 2015, Kirk opened up on his life before his music career kicked off, sharing, “I was playing in a couple of friends’ bands. I went to art school. I used to make films. I got into making music for films. I played drums for other people. Timber Timbre was a solo project before I shared it with anybody.”
He added, “At that time, the last job I had was as a closed captioner for film and television. It’s a very weird job, very odd, but it allowed me a lot of freedom to do tours in southern Ontario, Buffalo, and Quebec.”
Kirk also shared how his upbringing shaped his music taste, revealing, “My parents had a pretty great record collection and when I was young I found Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd in there. I can’t really get away from Pink Floyd.”
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