TAYLOR Gaes had it all.

He was young, he was adored by his fellow students, he was a high school quarterback and he was loved by his family and girlfriend.

But he was brought down when a rodent carrying a deadly disease wandered onto his family’s rural property.

Taylor died on June 8, a day after his 16th birthday, in Larimer County in northern Colorado.

He had swollen glands, a fever and muscle aches. His family and doctors thought it was a common cold or the flu. But it was much more serious than that.

Two weeks after his death, his ashes already scattered across his family’s ranch, local health authorities determined the cause of death — he died from the plague after contracting the bacteria from a flea bite.

To put his death into perspective, only three people in Colorado have contracted the bacteria, often referred to as “The Black Death”, in the past 30 years, and Taylor is the only fatality. Seven cases are counted in the US each year and deaths are very rare.

There are three different types of the plague: the bubonic plague, septicemic plague and pneumonic plague. Officials say Taylor contracted septicemic plague, which can develop from insect bites, handling infected animals or from untreated bubonic plague, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Black Death is believed to have killed as many as 50 million people in the 14th century but is relatively easy to treat today as long as it’s diagnosed.

Still, friends and family grieving over Taylor’s death are being told to worry — they too could have come into contact with the disease.

Officials say those who attended the scattering of his ashes should see a doctor immediately, even if they don’t have flu-like symptoms. They say the chance it was passed on are slim, but they don’t want to take any chances.

“It’s a pretty far reach, but it’s possible,” Larimer County Health Department spokeswoman Katie O’Donnell said.

“There is a small chance that others might have been bitten by infected fleas, so anyone who was on the family’s land in the last seven days should seek medical attention immediately if a fever occurs.”

At a gathering in the days after Taylor’s death, friends and family members wrote messages on white rocks that will be used to build a memorial for the dual-sport star — Taylor also pitched for the high school baseball team.

His father Shannon told mourners through tears that he was proud but in shock.

“You absolutely never know when the last day will come,” he said.

Chloe Brown, Taylor’s girlfriend of six months, described him as “generous” and “the most handsome boy I’d ever seen in my life”.

“We should all be thankful we had a chance to know such a generous soul,” she said.

“I’ll never forget him walking to his fourth period class. He was the most handsome boy I’d ever seen in my life.”

She said her favourite memory was slow dancing in Taylor’s living room to Blake Shelton and being told she was loved.

Poudre HS honoring #22 Taylor Gaes. Larimer Co health officials say he died from the plague pic.twitter.com/BlaCkrKIYx — Chris Jose TV (@CJose) June 20, 2015

Taylor’s high school baseball coach Russell Haigh told the Denver Post the 16-year-old had huge potential.

“We often talk about Taylor’s potential as an athlete, but he was much more than that. He was a good friend to all of our players. He was a special young man.”

His love of the game was also never questioned and health authorities said he even played on the Thursday night after coming down with flu-like symptoms. Nobody could’ve guessed he would be dead within days.

Taylor’s family is hoping to raise money for the Taylor Gaes Memorial Baseball Fund to pay for youth baseball league entrance fees for kids.

In the meantime, his teammates will wear patches on their uniforms to remember a life taken far too soon in the most unexpected of circumstances.

“I think it helps that they continue to play baseball,” Haigh said. “I think that’s what Taylor would want them to do.”