Foo Fighters Drummer Taylor Hawkins Has Passed Away at 50

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Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters’ longtime drummer, has died.

The band made the announcement on Friday, shortly before they were scheduled to do a show in Bogotá, Colombia, for the Festival Estereo Picnic. Hawkins was 50 years old, and his cause of death has not been revealed.

“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,” the band wrote on Twitter. “Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginable difficult time.”

After concertgoers in Bogotá learned of Hawkins’ passing, they put out candles in the main stage as a vigil to him, and the screens on five stages projected the message, “Taylor Hawkins Por Siempre,” which is Spanish for “Taylor Hawkins Forever.”

They also placed candles around the Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá, where the band was staying.

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The Foo Fighters are currently on tour in South America, and played in Lollapalooza Argentina earlier this week. They are scheduled to play in Lollapalooza Brasil Sunday, though it’s unclear if that show will be canceled. The festival tweeted out the band’s statement regarding Hawkins’ death Friday, in Portuguese.

Hawkins, previously a drummer for Alanis Morissette, joined the Foo Fighters in 1997, replacing William Goldsmith. He was with the band for over two decades, and was there to celebrate their induction (by The Beatles’ Paul McCartney) into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

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Celebrities and friends have reacted to the news of his passing on social media, and Miley Cyrus, who is scheduled to play at Lollapalooza Brasil on Saturday, said on her Instagram Story that she will dedicate her performance in São Paulo to the late drummer. She also shared a black-and-white photo of Hawkins playing the drums, and wrote, “This is how I’ll always remember you.”

She said her favorite memory with Hawkins is “dancing around his drum kit while he played along” to “Brass in Pocket” by the Pretenders. “Playing it on repeat imagining us laughing… Love forever,” Cyrus wrote.

Ringo Starr tweeted a photo of Hawkins, and wrote, “God bless Taylor peace and love to all his family and the band peace and love.”

The band Nickleback also reacted on Twitter, sharing a photo of Hawkins. “In utter disbelief at the news of Taylor Hawkins. Our deepest condolences to his family, his bandmates, his team, his friends and everyone that was ever touched by the music he created with @foofighters @Alanis and so many others. This is so incredibly sad,” they wrote.

Singer Ozzy Osbourne wrote that Hawkins “was truly a great person and an amazing musician. My heart, my love and my condolences go out to his wife, his children, his family, his band and his fans.”

“See you on the other side,” Osbourne added.

“God bless you Taylor Hawkins. I loved your spirit and your unstoppable rock power. Rest In Peace my friend,” Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello wrote on Twitter.

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Foo Fighters Drummer Taylor Hawkins Has Passed Away at 50
Source: Filipino Journal Articles