St. Louis lost a bold and beloved creative light with passing of Tyler “Tai” Davis. He was a chef, musician, model and multidisciplinary artist whose talent refused to fit inside a single lane.
The news of his death was announced via social media on Friday, January 9. Details surrounding his passing have not been released.
“STL lost an icon, an artist a visionary and so much more,” Chef Juwan Rice said in a Facebook tribute. “My heart hurts. Tai Davis has not only made a huge impact on my life, but so many more.”
His passing came days after the soft launch of his latest restaurant venture LINEA. The six-month pop-up supper club and creative event space was to be the precursor for the brick-and-mortar restaurant Lineage that was still in development.
“What I want people to walk away with is thinking that they never knew soul food could taste this way,” Davis said, according to St. Louis Magazine.
Davis competed on multiple Food Network shows — including Halloween Baking Championship, Thanksgiving Pie Fight, and most famously, the episode of Chopped he won with the kind of swagger and precision that made St. Louis proud.
Before the chef’s coat, before the cameras, before the modeling campaigns, Davis was a musician.
Introduced to the cello by his uncle — an orchestral director — Davis fell in love with the instrument’s warmth and emotional depth as a child. He trained under Glenda Piek and later earned a music scholarship to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he studied Music Performance.
He played with the kind of sensitivity that made listeners lean in. Even as his culinary star rose, Davis never abandoned music. He performed, composed, collaborated and carried his cello like an extension of his own voice.
Davis’ striking look and magnetic presence led to modeling work that expanded his creative reach. He appeared in national and international productions, including commercial and video work for AT&T and Germany’s Galileo TV, along with appearances on Disney+ and Netflix programming.
News of Davis’ passing sent shockwaves through St. Louis’ culinary, arts and LGBTQ communities. Tributes poured in across social media, each one a testament to the lives he touched.
“Tai was brilliant, passionate and kind,” queer magazine Out In STL said in a Facebook tribute to Davis, who was one of their founding board members. “He lent his star power to our publication with his columns, and had endless energy and enthusiasm.”
Davis’ passing leaves a void — not just in kitchens or studios or stages, but in the creative heartbeat of St. Louis.
“Tai was a beautiful soul,” Nicole Galvin said via Facebook. “His light will shine on forever.”