Bodybuilder, street artist and dad-of-four MeatAXE dies while driving his five-year-old son to a birthday party

Mark Taylor, known as MeatAXE in the bodybuilding community, was taking his young son to the party on Saturday evening (February 15) when the tragedy happened.

Witnesses saw Taylor, from Melbourne, Australia, slumped inside his car and called emergency services. Paramedics arrived but 50-year-old Taylor could not be saved.

His wife Renée was leading a retreat three hours away and drove through the night to reach her husband and their young son Harlow, but father-of-four Taylor died before she could get there. The couple, who had been together for eight years, had celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary just days earlier.

A statement from the family read: “It is with heavy hearts that we reach out to the community to share the tragic news of the sudden passing of Mark Taylor . . . leaving his wife, Renée and the four children in shock and devastation. His loss has left an irreplaceable void in their lives, and they are now facing an unimaginable reality without him.”

Taylor was a famed bodybuilder and spray-painter and his sudden death has sent shockwaves through the international bodybuilding and arts communities.

Family friend Siobhan Duivenvoorden said Taylor combined his love of sports and art through his work. “He was a passionate bodybuilder and used his artistry to amplify the messages and careers of other athletes,” she told Daily Mail Australia. “He used his passion for good. He has so many amazing connections where everyone would speak highly of him.

She went on: “Mark was an incredibly loving caring and supportive brother, son, father, husband – especially father and husband. He was the kind of guy who would help anyone out. Him and Renée had such an incredible love, everyone just said he was obsessed with her . . . he would send her off on holiday to Bali; send her off to get massages; he showered her in poetry.

“He tattooed her portrait onto his arm. Together they built a life to support a teeming family home with all the wildness you can imagine 4 kids, 2 dogs, and a bird can bring.”

MeatAxe was a competitive bodybuilder for a number of years and has been a graffiti artist since he was a teenager. His artwork features in some of Australia's biggest gyms. He also completed many commissioners for clients.

Powerhouse Gym South Morang shared a picture of their MeatAxe mural and wrote a tribute. “Very sad news to wake up to today. The falling of someone so talented, a family man and such a laugh to have around, you will be forever missed.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up by Duivenvoorden for Taylor's family. She wrote on the page that any money raised will “cover funeral costs, childcare costs, and living expenses as Renee and the kids grieve this great loss.” At the time of writing, it has raised more than $42,000 (around £34,000) towards its $100,000 (around £80,000) goal.

Taylor leaves behind his wife Renée and his four sons; Alaric, 15, Jai, 14, Jet, 10, and Harlow, 5.