Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away suddenly at a hotel in Columbia. He was only 50 years old. At this time, it is believed that his death is due to a cardiovascular collapse due to suspected drug use.
The band announced the news on Twitter on Friday night. “The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins,” the band wrote in a brief statement. “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.”
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) March 26, 2022
Many in the industry are taking time to remember the late drummer, including Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, who dedicated his song “Live Forever” to Hawkins at a recent performance.
Liam Gallagher Dedicates ‘Live Forever’ To Late Drummer Taylor Hawkins
On Saturday night, Oasis performed at the Royal Albert Hall. Gallagher took a moment to dedicate the performance of “Live Forever” to Hawkins.
“I dedicate this last song to the one and only Taylor f—ing Hawkins,” he said before the song. A photograph of Hawkins appeared on the screen behind him. “This is for you, brother.”
Some fans were able to record a snippet of the song, which they shared on YouTube.
Gallagher was good friends with the Foo Fighters band. Frontman Dave Grohl recently called Gallagher “one of the few last remaining rock stars” in an interview shortly before Hawkins’ sudden death.
Grohl and Hawkins were extremely close. The Three Pianos’ Andrew McMahon actually recalled meeting both Grohl and Hawkins when he was only 16 years old!
Andrew McMahon Met Dave Grohl & Taylor Hawkins When He Was Only 16
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On Saturday night, Andrew McMahon recalled the first time he met Taylor Hawkins while he was eating tacos at Laguana Beach with Dave Grohl.
“When I was 16 years old I met Taylor Hawkins,” he began in a post she shared to Instagram. “A friend and I had just stepped out of a vintage clothing store in Laguna Beach and were dressed head to toe for a disco dance we were attending that night at our school.”
“He was sitting with Dave Grohl, eating tacos and we were starstruck and unapologetic about interrupting their meal,” he continued. “They couldn’t have been nicer, chatting with us for what felt like forever, never once mentioning how ridiculous we looked in our polyester suits.”
“To this day, it’s one of the reasons I try to meet anyone who comes to my shows and wants to connect,” he added. “I will always be grateful for that interaction – for the humility – and appreciation I was shown as someone who grew up listening to Foo Fighter’s records.”
“Today the world lost one of the greats,” he concluded. “Rest In Peace Taylor.”
Grohl and Hawkins spent a lot of time together. In his 2021 book, “The Storyteller,” Grohl actually said that he would take a bullet for Hawkins if he had to.
Dave Grohl Called Taylor Hawkins ‘My Brother From Another Mother’
I genuinely do not know how to feel, Taylor Hawkins was one of my favourite drummers. I just finished Dave’s book today and this part means more now than anything. pic.twitter.com/SaNIjw7TFz
— jackson (@jacksonburleyy) March 26, 2022
At one point in his book, Grohl reflected called meeting Hawkins “a kind of love at first sight.”
“Tearing through the room like an F5 tornado of hyperactive joy was Taylor Hawkins, my brother from another mother, my best friend, a man for whom I would take a bullet,” Grohl wrote. “Upon first meeting, our bond was immediate, and we grew closer with every day, every song, every note that we ever played together.”
“I am not afraid to say that our chance meeting was a kind of love at first sight, igniting a musical ‘twin flame’ that still burns to this day,” he continued. “Together, we have become an unstoppable duo, onstage and off, in pursuit of any and all adventure we can find. We are absolutely meant to be, and I am grateful that we found each other in this lifetime.”
