On 29 September 1968, he scored the opening goal of the 1968–69 campaign, scoring after only 30 seconds in a 2–1 home defeat to Fiorentina. During the course of his second Serie A season with the club, however, his level of performance dropped due to fever, weight loss, a sore throat, and a high heart rate, but the club's manager Helenio Herrera decided to continue to play him. On 25 January 1969, Taccola was hospitalised due to tonsillitis; he was operated on 5 February. On 2 March 1969, he returned to the pitch but injured his ankle in a game against Sampdoria, and two weeks later, after a game against Cagliari, to which he accompanied the team, he suffered a seizure in the locker room. He died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital, at the age of 24, with official cause of death being heart failure due to pneumonia. He is survived by his widow, Marzia. Taccola scored 7 goals in 12 appearances for Roma during his second season with the club.