Today would have been my son Matt's 42nd birthday.  He had accomplished more at his age than most do in their lifetime. Thank you Numenta for believing in him!

My family is truly grateful for all the wonderful comments left and the realization that he had touched so many people has in some ways helped to ease our sorrow. 

It was great smoking cigars with you back in the day. My thoughts are with you and your family.

I recently discovered the excellent videos on line by Matthew Taylor for HTM School and Numenta.Org and enjoyed learning from the videos very much. I am sorry to hear of this news and want to pass along condolences to family and friends. 

I just saw the notification and am in shock. Though I never physically met Matt, I did speak with him a few times and participated in a few of his webinars on youtube. Matt was a shining star. My sincerest prayers go out to his family.
Sincerely,
Jeff Barnett (Maj USMC retired)

On behalf of our entire company I want to express our condolences to Matt's family, friends and colleagues. Matt touched everyone in our company, primarily through his teachings in HTM school. Beyond his mastery at explaining unfamiliar concepts, we were always charmed at his wit and wonderful demeanor. By every measure we could see Matt was just a wonderful person and we will miss him. Through his good nature and knowledge he shared, Matt will have an lasting impact us and so many more.

Paul Dlugosch - Natural Intelligence Systems, Inc.

I didn't know Matt personally, but I attended his HTM School, where Matt conveyed difficult concepts with wit and charm. He made the subject quite enjoyable with his personality. I can only hope to be in the ballpark of what he did there.

There have been many great minds that have slipped away much too soon, and Matt is one of those minds, I am happy to say.

I wish his family well. Few can stand in his shoes.

It's so nice to see the outpouring of love and friendship that Matt shared with so many people. He was my big brother and he was amazing. Always there when I needed him; watched out for me even when I didn't realize he was. He was the kind of brother that was easy to look up to, envy, and hope to grow up to be like. Not many people have the knowledge, talent, AND the charismatic qualities that made Matt the wonderful person he was. It made you happy to talk with him, share stories, theories, or even just to be around him. It's absolutely not fair that we don't have more time with him. My heart is broken, but I will forever cherish all the great memories he has given me. My love goes out to his beautiful family - Trinity, Dean, and Romy. I love you, Bro.

I made this slideshow to honor Matt and his family. Many of these pictures were displayed at his visitation this past weekend. Thank you to all that were able to come.

https://plus.smilebox.com/play?g=336d2a27-455e-4e8a-b0f3-6a2aa1b34aa6&sbid=3466

Many that were not able to attend the visitation have asked about memorial donations. A 529 education fund has been set up for each of Matt's children. Contributions can be made at https://www.ugift529.com/ using Dean's Code 303-Q2X and Romy's Code L1E-N7C.

I never met Matt personally, but he was really somebody to me.
I feel very sad. Live is so short. Rest in peace Matt.
Condolences to the family.

I had only a few email conversations with Matt. But I am moved to hear the news. His talent to build a community was commendable. He stays in the videos and our memories.

RIP Matt, you led the way in new thinking and showed us new and exciting ways of solving old problems. May Almighty God bring peace to you and your family. My heartfelt condolences.

It comforts my heart to read all of the comments everyone has taken the time to post for my son Matt. He was everything that has been said. He loved his wife and children, family, friends and colleagues. He did not know a stranger! He was passionate about his job and was grateful to Numenta for taking a chance on him. He put 100% into everything he did, because he wanted to do his best. He wanted to help everyone be their best. He was a natural artist at a young age and pretty much a self taught musician because he loved music. I could go on and on. Matt loved Life! 

We spoke sometimes about God and what was out there after life and he just wasn't sure......In my mind I am choosing to believe that he is on his next Adventure - discovering even more than this world could ever offer!

All our Love Boo Boo....Mom

Matt has enriched my life, especially my favorite intellectual part of my life, like very few people. Like most others in his great sphere of influence, I am so deeply shocked and saddened, that I can barely describe it. I am about 14 years older than Matt and having had many written exchanges with him and enjoyed just about all of this electronic platforms and publications, I hoped to meet him in person. This was an unspoken and uncertain plan I looked up to. As an American living in Germany with my own family and many commitments, I certainly had Matt on my short list of people I definitely would like to meet one day, when I visit the States. His loss will be devastating for an important part of my life. Both the content he created and the content he made available, was the treat I saved for myself, after I accomplished my other daily duties. At times when I was very busy, I would listen to his podcast while commuting and save the rest for my quality learning moments. 

To Matts family, I wish to express my sincere condolences and assure them, that he touched so many of us with his kindness, dedication and enthusiasm and humanity, to the extent, I feel his loss as much as that of a cousin or close friend. My heart is with you on these sad moments and I wish you all the strength and optimism he has always passed on to all around him.  Joe Perez, Matts follower from 2012-2020 HTM Forum & Community

Translation of Chinese content below (May 19) from Liang Forest (sorry if I messed up on your name!) thanks to Google translate:

Very surprised, very sad, and remembering his wonderful tutorials .....

Matt had a very unique ability to inspire me and others regarding his work and life.

Im so thankful to him for all his efforts.

I'm so sorry about this.

My deep condolences to his family.

Matt, I'm so sad with the thought of you not being here any more. I'm given some comfort having read all the messages here and knowing that you touched the lives of so many people and that they saw you the way I did.

Matt gave me my Numenta mug when I went to visit him last year and I think about him every time I have tea. :)

After being in sporadic contact for 8 years, I went to Redwood and I told him that I truly appreciated him and the brave, insightful and always imaginative ways, he shared his work.

I loved his "Matt"ness in the way he twitch streamed his coding. As a developer, coding in front of one other person is nerve-racking; Matt did it live, on the Internet, on a topic that was under research, using technologies that he hadn't used before, all the while keeping his composure, making progress on the task at hand and answering questions in a happy and serious way that were peppered in from the community watching him. 

When I tell people about Numenta and their work, I lead with their openness and Matt's streaming. 

Although I never met or knew Matt personally I can truly say that his passion and work touched my life in profound ways and undoubtedly led me to the career I so enjoy in AI today.  The elegance and simplicity with which he presented so many complex ideas that are so important to the future of humanity was second to none. I will never forget the ideas he opened my eyes to and hope that in whatever small way I can continue pushing forward the work he cared so deeply about.

I feel we were kindred spirits in so many ways and would have loved to meet him in person to talk about AI, the universe, and so much more.

Thank you for everything you did Matt and my deepest condolences to his family and friends. 

非常惊讶，非常痛心，想起了他的精彩教程......

Had been following his outreach work for a long time when he asked to interview me for his podcast. He was just so positive. Full of energy. Science, and art. I feel blessed having had the chance to interact with him.

Followed Numenta from years back from a layman's perspective and Matt through his excellent tutorials brought a complex subject into focus.

Sad news indeed.
Condolences to all.

Steve. UK.

Matt had such a zest for life. He was always happy and up for any adventure with his family. Whether it was a family hike, playing in the neighborhood block-party band, or going to the beach, Matt loved life. He loved Trinity more than anything. Trinity, Dean and Romy were his whole world. Anyone that had ever been around Matt knew that. You could see how much he loved his family any time you saw them together. He always encouraged them to be individuals, to learn everything they could, and be kind people. Matt will be missed by everyone. He brought so much light and love to the world. We loved him and wish so much that he wouldn’t have be taken away so early in life. We know that he will continue to watch over Trinity, Dean and Romy throughout their lives until they can be together again one day.

I read the news from Matt's dead with great sadness. Matt's skills and passion for high quality teaching brought a lot of joyful and valuable understanding into my life. Clearly his passing away was much too early. I wish Matt's family and his colleagues at Numenta all the best!

I will miss you ... every time I watch your lesson.
May God be with you.

The news of Matt's passing shook me. Matt was my best friends big brother. He was always kind and fun to be around. I remember us girls hanging out in his room and just listening to music. I remember him driving us to gymnastics and not saying anything about our silly, weird, loud conversations and songs.

I remember seeing Matt and Trinity early in their relationship and thinking, that is love. 

My heart goes out to his whole family that I have loved for a long time.

Trinity, Dean and Romy hugs and prayers go out to you now as you find a new normal with out Matt.

Kristy, Doug, and Jay, as a parent, I can't imagine your pain. My prayers are with you.

Nicole, I know a piece of your heart is gone forever. I pray your memories can make you smile. I love you!

It saddened me to hear of Matt’s passing a few days ago, just surreal to think that although I haven’t seen Matt and Trinity since closer to high school graduation at Clopton here in Pike County Missouri, memories are weird since that doesn’t feel so long ago. Yet 23 years have passed. Pictures ran through my mind of those times....Matt was gentle, sincere, funny, nice, very smart, and there are “hallway” moments I remember that I don’t think will ever disappear. I looked in my “memory shoebox” from that period since I knew I had a picture of both Matt and Trinity together, I found it and I’ll post in the gallery. When reading through the other tributes, and watching some of his videos it’s obvious that he had an impact in his career and that he had passion for what he was doing. Trinity my thoughts are with you and your family, I’m sorry for your loss of your husband and friend. I’ll be thinking of you.... -Melissa (Shobe) Lanham

Matt was an amazing person who brought so much joy to our lives. We met him and his family over 10 years ago, and shared so many life events. Our kids are the same ages, and so there were birthday parties, beach trips, the annual santa train, dinners, and just hanging out. My favorite memory was when my husband realized that he was older than Matt's step dad and the laughs that we shared. My heart is aching for Trinity, Dean, and Romy, as this loss will be hardest for them. Trinity, I promise to keep Matt's memory alive for you and your beautiful kids. We love you all so much. Matt, you will be forever missed.

My condolences, and all the best for his family.

It is the first time in my life that I mourn the loss of a person I never met, talked to or interacted with.
Having just found his work online in the last weeks, the dire news of your loss still hits hard. Getting into his field of expertise is daunting, yet his online presence was like an insurance that it all would be feasible in the end.
Reading what Matt was all about makes me miss not ever having talked to him even more.

I keep starting and stopping. The words don't seem right. They do not express the deep sadness that has suddenly rattled within. It has been so many years and yet in my mind, I see Matt's smile - just as in his picture here so many years later. Matt always had that wonderful mix of serious and silly, smart and cool.  We shared art and math - kindness, conversation. We worked hard with others from '96 to create the best class art - carving pumpkins on the kitchen floor, making posters, just being kids. Yes, we were kind of nerdy and really serious about it! :). Many wonderful memories. And now to think, I didn't get to know him with his family in these adult years. I wonder what our conversations could have been like given the mutual interest in neuroscience and tech. The known merging into the unknown, and connecting again. 


Mary Oliver wrote:
"I did think, let’s go about this slowly.
This is important. This should take
some really deep thought.
We should take
small thoughtful steps.

But, bless us, we didn’t."

Matt, thank you for all those wonderful experiences. Experiences that shape us over time and bring meaning and feeling to our lives. I wish I had gone slower and been able to know you and your family in these recent years.

Trinity, your children, and all of Matt's family - I send you warmth and love. My heart is full of sorrow for you and our world. You are in my thoughts.

I worked with Matt for a short period back in 2012. I remember his enthusiasm and eagerness to help. He always had a smile. His social outreach helped me stay in touch with progress at Numenta. He will be missed by many. My condolences to Matt’s family and the Numenta team.

Matt was a kind, bright, and curious soul, and I am deeply saddened to have lost him.

Matt's spirit for life was always inspiring to me. His range of interests were so varied that it was rare to find someone who had his hands in so many different things. It was always engaging and exciting to talk about these things with him. I really enjoyed how Matt always saw the world with beginner's eyes, and everything was fascinating to him the way it is to a child. That kind of perspective is so refreshing.

When I was interested in Numenta, Matt (and his hackathons) helped me meet and join the company. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has met so many people in the AI field due to Matt. It was just so easy to be taken in by his zeal and friendliness, and we will miss that a lot.

I want to give my deepest condolences to his family, and to all the other people who he has left behind. May they find strength during this time. He will be missed greatly.

Thank you Matt for so much. The Taylors gave my boys and me the family we needed in California, and much more than we asked for. Matt was a loving, understanding father figure, and from what I saw true best friend to T. He was a role model of a hard working guy that actually enjoyed his job and was also truly dedicated to his family. Always present in the conversation, always sharing and giving. The Taylors house was a haven. So often the scene was Trinity making dinner, while Matt was playing his uke, or tooling around, like on his mini computer boards, while sharing his eclectic music collection of heavy metal and 80 alt, and also some just strange noises. I can’t say it right, just how good it felt to be with them, always the four of them together, but also always letting us in. It was special to be with them. Those memories have always taken up a lot of space in my heart. And it hurts now. Thinking you of Matt, Trinity, Romy and Dean. I love you all so much.

i met matt in virtual worlds. he was a shining light of ideas and positivity. his presence in our community will be dearly missed.

The opportunity to know and work with Matt was one of the greatest honors of my life.
He was an example to me of what it means to be alive, human, and a man.
Intelligence poured from him in everything he did.
I’m shattered that he is gone. I will miss him greatly. I owe him a great deal. 
My deepest condolences to his family, co-workers, friends, and loved ones.
I look forward to seeing him again in the next life, at Thunderdome.

Matt did a brilliant talk at Strange Loop 2012 and I pulled some strings to get a fresh edit done from the original recordings which is now available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvS2udf4pgI

I remember when Trin and Matt first started dating way back when I was just a small kid. I always enjoyed my awesome cousin living next door and it was even more fun when Matt started hanging out. Even then, being so young, I always thought they were cute together. Matt was never too cool to play and jump on the trampoline with a couple little kids. He was always so nice, funny, goofy, and also sweet to Trin. I didn’t know him as much in my adult life, mostly because they live so far away, but I remember Matt and I getting into random discussions on Facebook one day about Swedish death metal bands, of all things. He was such a cool guy! It broke my heart when I heard of his sudden passing and my heart breaks even more for my cousin Trinity, and Dean and Romy. Matt, you are dearly missed and loved by so many people. I wish I could have known you more, but I knew enough to realize how great of a husband, father and human being you were. ❤️
Love you Matt.

met Matt, when I was a recruiter at Yahoo.  I found his site on Twitter, and Contact him to work at Yahoo! .  He got the Job at Yahoo, and moved from the Midwest. Him and Trinity and the kids moved into our town, and our family became fast friends with then.  Matt and I would eat lunch and have commute and have a great time. Our families would get together all the time.  Even though Matt and Trinity moved, we still saw them. Every year, we would get together on the Santa Train in Santa Cruz.  Thought our children are now teenagers, we the parents would still want to go Matt would have such a great time on the train every year, yelling “Merry Christmas” to all the bystanders. We were very lucky that we saw them twice during the Christmas season last year. Matt was also a great friend and always supportive to everyone.  He was a true visionary at Yahoo, and was so excited about his work at Numenta to change the world. He also served in the Military and had great stories (He always said the Military know how to exit the plane in the right way)  Like everyone we are all devastated by this, and our thoughts are with Trinity and the kids

Our hearts are broken along with the Taylor family's. Matt was such a great guy! We can't begin to understand why we have to go through this kind of pain, but please take comfort in knowing we are all surrounding your family with our love. We hope you can feel it. You will all be in our prayers. Your memories of him will live on forever. I'm thankful for the evening our two families could spend together during the summer of 2018. Love to you all.

I met Matt in 5th grade...my first year at a new school...we were instant friends. then shortly after I'm spending the night at his house almost every chance, and him at mine any chance...but usually it was me living at Matt's house. We spent most of our time looking at dragon fantasy magazines, listening to cool music, making cassette tapes of us, playing with cool toys, collecting comics, and playing video games...i was Sega, he was Nintendo...we both have letters printed in one of our favorite comics "poison elves" by the late drew hayes. i have a box of so many drawings, things.from school, notes from Matt, and Trinity...I was the first person to push him to his first kiss...which was before my own!!! , he told me that he had a crush on Trinity...i did what a bestfriend would do...go to Trinity's house and jump on the trampoline, and ring our sloppy wet socks from the rain onto each other laughing and having the times of our lives then.

So many memories that keep coming in that I've forgotten about, or fragments of memories of important times...we did EVERYTHING together...we joined the same school clubs together...minus the academic one's...i wasn't the smart one...he was very smart and did amazing in school...we had our lockers next to each other every year. He was my family...Kristy, Jay, Nicole, Kai & co...they all were.

i remember in 2011 when i should've passed...but by insurmountable odds...somehow i survived...i don't remember a lot from that time bc i was bad off...in the hospital for over a month...lost my eye, and almost my leg...but i do remember both Matt and Trinity...i don't recall if they came, but i believe it was on phone...but what stuck with me was his voice...and how sincerely he was worried and the care and concern in his voice.

I lost a lot of time with Matt over the DUMBEST thing...i mean it was so dumb in hindsight...but i didn't do anything to try to make it better...and i feel horrible and guilty...bc it was something that could've been an easy simple fix...and we lost touch from that point on...this would be after he got out of the air force.

I have sooooo many sweet stories i can go on and on about...maybe i will.

I love you Matt, and will always remember what we had.

My heart is with Trinity, the kids, and the family...I'm so sorry...it's unfair what happened...Matt didn't deserve this ending...someone like me does...not you.

p.s. i have our zippos still that we made for each other...and so much more stuff...a box of love...that i need to go through.

R.I.P. Matthew A. Taylor I'm still in shock and disbelief. looking at everyone and all posts...that's the Matt i knew loved...it's such a sad thing to read, but to see how many lives he's touched makes it even more important that his life was full of love.

I'll see you again, and when i do we will have the biggest hug and please see my baby girl and let her know who you are.

Love,

Phil T.

I had the pleasure of working for Matt and Trinity when I was in college. I babysat for them and enjoyed spending time with their family. I was able to see Matt and Trinity at home with their kids and enjoyed watching their relationship with each other. They were funny and loving and energetic ❤ Trinity I have been praying for you and your kids and I will continue to do so. Sending so much love and prayers your way.

I went to high school with Matt and Trinity and though we weren’t close in school we reconnected as adults. We explored the redwood forests and beaches of Northern California together and they visited us here in Colorado. Matt was a funny, kind and exceptional man. He was deeply loved and respected by all. Our family is completely heartbroken right now. We will cherish our memories with him and our deepest love and sympathy go out Trinity, Dean, Romy, Nicole and rest of Matt’s family.

I went to high school with both Matt and Trinity. I cannot even believe this heartbreaking news, Matt is gone way too soon. Although I didn't know Matt well, I have and will always remember him for his kind, infectious smile. Trinity and the kids are in my thoughts and prayers. All my love ❤

I never met Matt in person, but during my few months at Numenta I got to interact with him frequently. Matt effortlessly made every interaction characteristically upbeat and jovial, bringing friendliness, positivity and a sense of humor. He had so many interesting things to say, from obscure jazz recommendations to making art using cellular automata. He is the sort of person I would really want to get to know well, and it saddens me deeply that such a unique person is no longer among us. The world is a poorer place for it.

Matt, to me, was not just an excellent professional but also a great friend! A man that always give motivation to our contributions to community.

Unfortunately all of us, Numenta and collaborators, loose the main actor who did the AI community vibrant, shine and wonderful with his participation, funny videos and a lot of the best contributions!

My old friend.. I miss you.. You are the best!!!

My condolences to the family... :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

And we wept that one so lovely should have a life so brief.”
—William Cullen Bryant
 
Matt's quick wit and gentle humor was apparent to all, in every interaction he had; but nothing was more obvious than the love he felt for his wife and family. His memory will never be forgotten.

Matt's explanations and online tutorials were always well explained and truly inspiring at the same time. His friendly nature made it easy to listen. Even though we never met it feels like a friend passed away. RIP. A follower from Germany

I am so grateful that I was able to work with and got to know Matt and his family over the past 8 years. Matt has touched so many people's lives with his uniqueness, love of life, and sincerity. He embraced all of his positive attributes, worked hard at living his philosophies, and followed his heart. Matt put a lot of thought, creativity, and fun into everything he did. I really enjoyed how comfortable Matt was at being “ Matt”. My emoji for Matt would be a colorful heart-shaped brain with a big smile on it. He was such a positive force and inspiration who I miss deeply. I am so so sad.

I met Matt briefly at NPP meetings, but I was impressed with his enthusiasm and integrity.
A tragic ending to inspiring life. My thoughts are with his family.
Thanks Matt

My most sincere condolence to the entire family. Even do I only knew Matt online, it was a pleasure to work with him to promote his amazing NFT Art.

He was a kind soul always willing to support other fellow Artists of the community. May he rest in peace and may his family be blessed in these hard times.

From Stephan T. and the MagNFT team.

I had the privilege of working with Matt for over seven years. I'm still in shock that he's gone. Matt was full of life, energy...but above all else, curiosity. He had a talent for bringing people together and making work fun.

I'll miss him greatly.

Matt's enthusiasm and passion was a wonderful thing.

I can't begin to imagine the devastation felt by his family. This just makes no sense.

I don't want to say "thoughts and prayers"... but what do you say to something this immense? As a father of 3, and a husband, it just breaks my heart.

To Matt's family: you're not alone - by all that is holy - we're here for you - truly.