Taylor Hawkins, the longtime drummer for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Foo Fighters, passed away Friday, March 25th, from as of yet unknown causes in Bogota, Columbia, where Foo Fighters were preparing to perform in concert. According to Hawkins, he was fifty-five. Variety.
Hawkins joined Foo Fighters, the post-grunge band led by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, who switched to guitar for his then-new band, formed after Nirvana ended with Kurt Cobain’s suicide in 1997. That year, Grohl fired the band’s original drummer William Goldsmith. Hawkins was in Alanis Morissette’s touring band at the time; a gig that, although it’s hard to fathom now, was far more popular than Foo Fighters.
Grohl initially asked Hawkins to suggest a drummer for the band, believing that Hawkins wouldn’t mind leaving his position. However, Hawkins was eager to join forces with Grohl and became a part of Foo Fighters shortly after the band (with Grohl handling drum duties) completed its sophomore album, 1997’s The Colour and the Shape. Hawkins became an important part of Foo Fighters’ band and provided backing vocals and drums for 25 years. Hawkins was also involved in various other projects such as Chevy Metal or The Birds of Satan.
The following statement has been released by the band
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) March 26, 2022
Hawkins’ wife, Mary Hawkins, had three children.
While Foo Fighters generally is seen as Dave Grohl’s vessel through which he continues to wave the hard rock flag, despite all musical trends to the contrary, Hawkins was nearly as much the band’s face as Grohl. His loss for Foo Fighters’ millions of fans across the globe is impossible to overstate. It’s incomparable with what his loved ones, friends, or bandmates are experiencing right now.
Taylor Hawkins, Godspeed
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