Sad News, Taylor Hawkins Drummer Foo Fighters Passes Away

Taylor Hawkins Foo Fighters (foto: Reuters via ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Taylor Hawkins, drummer for the rock group Foo Fighters, has died at the age of 50. There are no details regarding the cause of death, but it is confirmed that Hawkins is preparing for his appearance in Bogota, Colombia on Friday, March 25.

The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the untimely tragic loss of our loved one Taylor Hawkins. His musical passion and laughter will be with us forever. Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask (fans) to respect their privacy at this time. this unimaginably difficult situation," the Foo Fighters wrote in a social media post quoted by Variety on Saturday, March 26.

Hawkins, a key element of the Foo Fighters sound and image, is survived by his wife Alison and three children. Prior to joining Foo Fighters, Hawkins was the drummer for Alanis Morissette from 1995 to 1997.

Called an imaginative and rock-solid drummer, he had a seemingly selfless drumming stint behind Foo Fighters guitarist Dave Grohl, who was one of the greatest drummers in rock history.

Hawkins filled the role with aplomb, bringing his own tough style, and providing a rock sound without trying to emulate Grohl.

Quoted from ANTARA, Taylor is also a reliable singer and often provides voice during concerts and often works on cover versions (such as the collaboration in 2008 with Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, when Grohl switched roles with him and became the drummer). He also wrote many songs for the band.

Born Oliver Taylor Hawkins in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1972 the Hawkins family moved to Laguna Beach, California when he was four years old and he grew up there. After playing with several bands as a teenager, he became the drummer for rock singer Sass Jordan, then joined Morissette on the 1995 "Jagged Little Pill" album tour. Hawkins played with Morissette until March 1997.

Hawkins has been a member of the Foo Fighters band and participated in eight studio albums, the most recent of which is the Grammy-nominated “Medicine at Midnight” in 2021. Hawkins has also been involved in hundreds of Foo Fighters concerts and many side projects led by Grohl. One of the famous projects is a parody act as a form of homage to the music group Bee Gees.

Hawkins suffered from a heroin overdose in 2001 and was in a coma for two weeks, although he dismissed it as an accident and told the media that he "partyed a lot" but was not addicted.

In 2006, Hawkins released a self-titled LP with his side project, Taylor Hawkins and Coattail Riders. He has also worked with Coheed and Cambria, Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, former Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery's first solo album, Foo Fighters bandmate Chris Shiflett's side project, Jackson United and Queen guitarist Brian May's 1998 solo album, “Another Worlds."

The Foo Fighters are scheduled to perform at the Lollapalooza Festival in Brazil on Sunday, March 27, and at the Grammy Awards on April 3. The band also has a number of tours in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand scheduled through December.