The man who stole from Cecil Taylor jailed

A friend of legendary free-jazz pianist Cecil Taylor has pleaded guilty to stealing a substantial prize fund of $500,000 from him.

Receiving a sentence of one to three years in prison, Noel Muir, who befriended and defrauded Mr Taylor whilst on a trip to Japan, has already returned £200,000 and made a promise to return the rest of his Kyoto Prize award received for recognition of cultural, scientific and spiritual achievements.

District Attorney Ken Thompson said Muir, “shamefully bilked an elderly, vulnerable man. In doing so, the defendant pretended to be Cecil Taylor’s friend, but this guilty plea and sentence shows that he was just a thief.”

Cecil Taylor