It's true that doping was commonly used since Major Taylor's era as the first cyclist to (allegedly) die from doping was Arthur Linton (1896).
As for Major Taylor, it's likely that he did not succumb to doping. Here's the likely reason why, an excerpt from his autobiography: The Value of Good Habits and Clean Living
[url]http://www.majortaylorassociation.org/clean_living.htm[/url]