The music community is mourning the loss of Taylor Hawkins, the legendary drummer for the rock band Foo Fighters. Hawkins had been the lead drummer for the band for over 20 years when he unexpectedly passed away on Friday at the age of 50. There has been no official announcement about the cause of death.
Breaking the News: The news was announced through a tweet by the Foo Fighters, just hours before the band was scheduled to take the stage at the Festival Estero Picnic in Bogotá, Colombia. The Foo Fighters were then scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza Brasil on Sunday. The band is also scheduled to perform at the Grammy Awards on April 3. There is no word on if this performance will still happen.
Shortly after the news broke at the Friday night festival, candles were lit up on the main stage of the venue as a tribute to Hawkins. The screens hanging over the five performance stages read “Taylor Hawkins For Siempre,” translating to “Taylor Hawkins Forever.”
New Details Emerge: The District Secretary of Health in Bogotá issued a statement on Saturday, shedding a little light on what may have happened to Hawkins. According to the report, emergency services received a call regarding an individual experiencing chest pain at the Four Seasons Casa Medina, located in the northern part of the city. An ambulance was dispatched to the scene and the EMT performed resuscitation measures. However, with no response, Hawkins was declared dead at the scene.
Hawkins’ History with Drugs: Hawkins overdosed on heroin in 2001, spending a week in a coma as a result. This overdose happened about four years after he joined the Foo Fighters. Hawkins has been open about his struggle with drugs and his efforts to stay clean.
Prior to joining the Foo Fighters, Hawkins had been the drummer for Alanis Morissette. While with the Foo Fighters, the band won 12 Grammy Awards as well as boasting the distinction of earning four number one hits on the Billboard charts. The band was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame just last year.
The Foo Fighters had been on tour in South America. The band performed at Lollapalooza Chile on March 18 and Lollapalooza Argentina on March 20 before heading to Colombia.
