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The Latch

Foo Fighters Drummer Taylor Hawkins Has Died Aged 50

March 27, 2022
taylor hawkins death
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The music world has suffered an unimaginable blow with the news that Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has passed away at the age of 50.

In a post uploaded to the official Foo Fighters social media accounts, the band shared the tragic news writing, “The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins. 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.”

The announcement of Hawkins’ passing came shortly before the band were to play at a music festival in Bogota, Colombia. Instead, a video screen informed festivalgoers that the band had cancelled their performance and the rest of their South American tour.

What Was Taylor Hawkins’ Cause of Death?

No official cause of death has been released as yet.

The last gig the beloved rock band played together was on Sunday, March 20 at Lollapalooza Argentina. They also recently played the inaugural Always Live event in Geelong, Victoria to a crowd of 30,000 fans. The sold-out concert was the first in a series of events for the initiative which was conceived by the late Michael Gudinski before he passed away in 2021.

The group was due to perform a series of stadium shows in Australia later this year and, as yet, no announcement has been made about whether or not those shows will go ahead.

Foo Fighters recently released their first feature-length film — a horror/comedy called Studio 666, which sees the group working on their tenth album in a seemingly haunted house as frontman Dave Grohl becomes possessed by supernatural forces that threaten the completion of the record and the lives of the band.

Did Drugs Play a Part in Taylor Hawkins’ Death?

A preliminary toxicology report released by Colombian authorities found 10 psychoactive substances and medicines in Hawkins’s system including THC (marijuana), tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids however, the volume of these substances were not revealed.

The talented drummer experienced a heroin overdose in August 2001 which led to him being in coma for two weeks. However, he said that the incident was the result of him partying too hard, rather than addiction.

When Did Hawkins Join Foo Fighters?

Hawkins, who was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1972, was the drummer for Alanis Morissette and played on her multi-platinum debut record Jagged Little Pill before joining Foo Fighters in 1997. Hawkins replaced the band’s original drummer William Goldsmith and developed a friendship with frontman Dave Grohl that Grohl has frequently described as being more like a relationship between two brothers.

In a 2021 interview with Rolling Stone, Hawkins revealed that he had, at one point, seriously considered leaving the band.

Speaking of the pressure he felt stepping into a rock group run by one of the world’s best drummers, Hawkins recalled a recording session for the group’s third album There Is Nothing Left to Lose.

“I had red-light fever so bad,” he said. “Because the last guy f—kin’, you know . . . So how am I gonna make it through this? And the producer was like, ‘Couldn’t Dave just play drums?’ I could just hear it in his face. Like, ‘Why is this kid trying to learn to play to a click track right now in front of me? Let’s get this record done.’

“And at one point, I just said to Dave, ‘Listen, dude, I just don’t think I can do this,’ ” he continued. “And what he said chokes me up a little. He’s like, ‘You’re gonna play some drums on this.’ I did half the drums on it, because he fuckin’ held my hand through it, like an older brother, best friend does. That’s why we’re here today.”

Added Grohl, “I think Taylor really underestimates his importance in this band. Maybe because he’s not the original drummer, but, my God, what would we be without Taylor Hawkins? Could you imagine? It would be a completely different thing. . . . Taylor’s insecurity pushes him to overachieve.”

How Are People Reacting to Taylor Hawkins’ Death?

The tributes have been pouring in for the late musician with Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello Tweeting, “God bless you Taylor Hawkins. I loved your spirit and your unstoppable rock power. Rest In Peace my friend.” 

Finneas Tweeted, “So heartbroken to hear about Taylor Hawkins’ passing, what an incredible talent, who didn’t also need to be so kind and generous and cool but was all those things too anyway. The world was so lucky to have his gifts for the time that it did, Rest In Peace.” 

And actor John Stamos shared, “This was Taylor Hawkins‘ last text to me: “Ya We’ve yet to fully have a hang -Got a put that shit together before we die” Wise words from my friend- put that shit together! I’m so fucking sad. Another one gone too soon.”

Has Dave Grohl Commented on Taylor Hawkins’ Death?

Grohl has yet to publicly comment on the passing of his best friend and bandmate.

The news, of course, feels especially tragic as Grohl’s former Nirvana bandmate and close friend, Kurt Cobain, died by suicide at the age of 27.

Did Taylor Hawkins Have a Wife and Kids?

Hawkins is survived by his wife, Alison and their three children. He and Alison had been married since 2005.

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