Cape Town - Comedian Stuart Taylor has been hit by a second tragedy within a week, first losing his mother and now his father to Covid-19.
The comedian has since also tested positive for the coronavirus and is battling with both his health and grief.
Stuart’s father, Desmond Taylor, 71, passed away at Victoria Hospital on Sunday morning.
His 70-year-old mom, Marilyn Taylor, passed away on Christmas Eve at their Grassy Park home where she lived with her husband, daughter and grandchildren.
The couple had been married for 50 years.
His wife Elisca posted an emotional message on Facebook on Sunday, saying: “Today we received the devastating news that Stu’s dad passed away this morning. The cornerstone of the Taylor Family, he was a beloved father and doting grandfather. He leaves such a big void and will be missed by many, and deeply by us.”
Today we received the devastating news that Stu's dad passed away this morning. The cornerstone of the Taylor Family,...
Posted by Elisca Taylor on Sunday, January 3, 2021
On Christmas, after sharing news of his mom’s death, Stuart posted that his father had been admitted to Victoria Hospital with Covid symptoms.
“My parents lived with my sister and her family, the Sunday before mom passed they showed general flu symptoms, the Tuesday we called to ask my parents to get tested, they said no,” he explained.
“On Christmas Eve I went there, my mom was sleeping, my dad looked bad and I took him to a doctor. They sent him to Victoria Hospital where he was admitted, they asked my mom to come get tested.
“I called my sister and sent an ambulance through and that’s when my sister discovered my mom had passed away.
“We thought she was sleeping but she had already died, my dad was in hospital and we couldn’t tell him my mom had passed away.
“He was discharged after three hours with Panado, his test wasn’t back so they couldn’t treat him as a Covid patient. That’s why it’s important to get tested if you want to get treatment.
“I took him home from hospital, I drove home with him and when we stopped outside the house, I had to break it to him that the paramedics came and tried to resuscitate her.”
Stuart, 43, said his parents had prepared for the day that either one of them would die, and even had a separate entrance set up for his mom to live, should his father pass on first.
He said his father was devastated, and the next morning, he took his dad back to Victoria as he was struggling to breathe.
“We washed his hair and himself and he went into Victoria Hospital. The staff at Victoria Hospital are really amazing, people speak s*** about our local hospitals, but we are fortunate to have such good hospital service where doctors go above and beyond.”
He said he started getting symptoms two days later and because he was in close contact with his father, he decided to also get tested, and his results came back positive.
Taylor said their family has been traumatised by the double loss, while he is also struggling to cope with his illness.
“My life has pretty much been about trying to organise a little funeral for my mom,” he said.
“This thing has just been such a challenge, you know, trying to not die, this feels like psychological warfare, then you can’t eat, sleep and then you’re sweating.
“The symptoms got bad since Wednesday, maybe it’s also just the emotional strain I’m under,” he adds.