Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has died, in line with a declaration from the band. Just turning 50-years-old.
The band introduced the information in a declaration on social media on March 25. No cause of death has been given.
“The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of Taylor Hawkins,” it read.
“His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever. Our hearts go out to his wife, children, and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time.”
Born in Dallas, Texas on February 17, 1972, Taylor Hawkins performed withinside the experimental band Sylvia earlier than gambling drums on Alanis Morissette’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ and ‘Can’t Not’ tours. Hawkins formally joined the Foo Fighters in 1997, replacing their unique drummer William Goldsmith.
“I’d met Dave [Grohl] at this [US radio station] K-Rock Christmas show because Foo Fighters were on their way up and Alanis Morissette was through the fucking stratosphere at that point,” Hawkins said.
“Me and Dave just looked like long-lost brothers in a weird way. We had a similar vibe and I don’t know why. I remember my friend playing with the Foo Fighters before I met Dave and watching them goof around backstage. He said to me, ‘That guy could be like your brother’.
“And sure enough, when we met, we just thought, ‘We’re brothers from another mother!’ It was instantaneous – so much so that Alanis Morrisette just said ‘What are you going to do when Dave asks you to be the drummer in the Foo Fighters?’”
According to a 2018 interview, Grohl requested him to sign up for the band after Goldsmith determined to quit, and he have become a everlasting member throughout the recording of the band’s fourth studio album ‘One By One’. Hawkins additionally saved busy with many aspect projects.
He had led Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders as drummer and vocalist for the reason that 2000s and in 2014 shaped the aspect undertaking The Birds of Satan, which became itself a spin-off of the duvet band Chevy Metal.
The Foo Fighters are currently on tour in South America. Hawkins’ final show with the band was the headlining slot at Lollapalooza Argentina in Buenos Aires on March 20.
Hawkins died before Foo Fighters could perform at Festival Estero Picnic in Bogotá, Colombia on March 25. Lit candles were placed on the festival’s stage in his honor:
Tributes have begun to flow in for Hawkins. Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello shared a photo of himself, Hawkins, and Jane’s Addiction’s Perry Farrell, writing: “God bless you, Taylor Hawkins. I loved your spirit and your unstoppable rock power. Rest In Peace, my friend.”
Queen guitarist Brian May expressed his disbelief at Hawkins’ passing: “No. It cannot be. Heartbroken. Taylor, you were family to us. Our friend, our brother, our beloved child. Bless you. We will miss you so bad.”
Ozzy Osbourne also shared a tribute for the “amazing musician”.
Sam Fender, who is playing a show in Glasgow tonight (March 26), took to Twitter to announce that the show would be dedicated to the drummer. “Glasgow tonight. This one’s for Taylor’, he wrote, sharing an image of his drummer sat behind a kit emblazoned with Hawkins’ name.