Daniel Hall, a co-founder of the Australian rock band Taxiride, died Friday (Nov. 13). He was 48.
The band announced his death in a social media post. “It is with the heaviest of hearts we announce the passing of our youngest brother in arms, Daniel James Hall,” it read. “We shared some amazing experiences and his departure doesn’t seem real. Rest In Peace Dan.”
In a separate post on Hall’s own page, his partner, Jess, said he died unexpectedly at home in the early hours of Friday. “I am completely devastated,” she wrote. “Your prayers and kind messages are appreciated.” No cause has been given.
Taxiride formed in Melbourne in the late ’90s, after Tim Watson and Tim Wild began writing together and were joined by Jason Singh and Hall, who had spent years busking in the suburb of Camberwell and playing Melbourne venues. The four-piece signed to Warner after recording a demo at the city’s Secret Sound Studios.
Their 1999 debut, Imaginate, produced by Jack Joseph Puig and recorded between Ocean Way in Los Angeles and Secret Sound, went to No. 1 on the ARIA albums chart and was certified double platinum in Australia. It was released in the U.S. on Warner/Sire.
Lead single “Get Set” reached No. 8 on the ARIA singles chart and No. 36 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart, and won breakthrough artist – single at the 1999 ARIA Awards. It was also nominated for best pop release. Follow-up “Everywhere You Go” gave the band a second ARIA top 15 hit, and Imaginate drew two further ARIA nominations the following year.
Hall left Taxiride in 2001 to pursue solo work and later formed the band Airway Lanes. He subsequently returned to Taxiride, and the band has continued performing in Australia, with dates still in the diary at the time of his death.
Singh, his former bandmate, said he was “absolutely shattered.” Writing on social media, he said: “R.I.P. my brother Dan Hall. Forever in my soul. Thank you for being one of the hugest parts of my life brother. I’m totally heart broken.”
Singer-songwriter Peta Evans-Taylor, who performed with Hall, called him “one of the most talented songwriters, vocalists, and musicians I have ever heard,” adding: “Along with that you were a beautiful soul, and a wonderful friend.”
