Richard Taylor, the father of Damilola – fatally stabbed in Peckham at the age of ten – has passed away after a long battle with prostate cancer at the age of 75.
The Damilola Taylor Trust posted on X: “Richard’s family are very sad to make the news public that Richard passed away last night. He had been fighting a long battle with cancer. Sending love and best wishes to all who loved him dearly.”
Damilola was stabbed in the leg and left to die in a stairwell on November 27, 2000. Two brothers aged 12 and 13 were later convicted of manslaughter.
Mr. Taylor campaigned for more than twenty years to stop knife crime and gang violence.
Cllr Kieron Williams, Leader of Southwark Council, paid tribute to him, telling us: “Richard’s determination to create hope out of grief has been an inspiration to people across our community and beyond. His courage and kindness knew no bounds. He will be deeply missed but I know his legacy will live on, in the young people he helped, and in the message of hope that he brought to the world.”
His family issued the following statement: “It is with a heavy heart that the family announce the death of our beloved father, grandfather and uncle, Mr Richard Adeyemi Taylor OBE, who sadly passed away in the early hours of Saturday 23 March at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer.”
His wife, Gloria, died at the age of 57 in 2008.