It's been a tough week for hard rocking frontmen. Yesterday we reported that Slayer's Tom Araya was mourning the death of his mother and sadly Taproot's Stephen Richards just lost his mother as well.

Kathy Richards courageously battled cancer for 20 years before succumbing this past week. Both the band and the group's manager issued separate statements on the death of Kathy Richards that can be read below. The first comes from Taproot's manager:

Kathy Richards was loved and cherished by many people including her son, Taproot’s singer Stephen Richards. She fought a courageous battle with cancer for over 20 years but, sadly, passed away on March 30th. We kindly ask that you please help support Kathy’s final arrangements and some outstanding financial commitments by contributing whatever you can at this site: www.gofundme.com/kathyscourage

As for the band, they added their own thoughts on Kathy Richards and the role she played in supporting the group over the years. Their statement reads as follows:

From the time Taproot formed in 1997 until she passed, Kathy was a huge supporter of the band. Taproot always practiced, wrote albums, and rehearsed in the home that she and Steve shared. Kathy served as sort of our “band mom,” and we wouldn’t have been able to achieve the level of success we did without her love and support. She will be missed by all of her friends, family, and loved ones.

Loudwire sends our condolences to Stephen Richards, his family, the band and the whole extended Taproot family.

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