Taylor Hawkins, the beloved drummer for the Foo Fighters passed away, and the world has
mourned the loss of an immensely talented musician.
But even though he was a rock star, Hawkins' life wasn't an easy one.
Taylor Hawkins had a close relationship with his parents, but like most families, things
weren't perfect.
The Texas native, who grew up in Laguna Beach, California, opened up about his late mother,
Elizabeth Ann Hawkins, in a 2021 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, saying,
"My mum ... had her demons and a dark side.
She was full of love, sweetness, and tenderness and the total opposite of my dad.
I would stand in front of her as a kid and sing, impersonate or dance for her.
When I first got drums, she was the one who would watch me play.
She was a big supporter and told me I'd make it."
As for the late drummer's father, Terry Hawkins, it seems he was similar to Elizabeth in that
they both had their faults.
In the interview, Taylor mentioned that his mother balanced out his Dad's coldness.
The Foo Fighters drummer tragically lost his father in 2011, and his mother died only nine
months later.
Life was tough for Taylor Hawkins before he discovered his passion for drumming.
The musician spoke about finding himself through music in a 2000 interview with The Washington
Post.
He said:
"I was a fat, chubby, stupid kid who [failed] at everything and that nobody liked.
Then I started playing drums."
His parents likely had no clue they were changing their son's life forever when they gifted
him the drum kit.
Although the drummer always had his mother's support, it seems she wasn't always present
due to her own internal struggles.
Hawkins reflected that,
"Mum was a little absent sometimes because of her demons and my older sister Heather
took up a lot of that slack.
When dinner didn't get finished because Mum had passed out on the couch, [my sister] Heather
was the one who made sure everything ran smoothly."
Luckily, the star didn't let his troubled upbringing prevent him from following his
dreams.
"I would never throw Taylor out of this band.
I will never throw Taylor out of this band.”
“Famous last words."
"Save that tape."
"Save the tape, I swear to God."
Taylor Hawkins survived a terrifying experience in 2001 when a heroin overdose put him into
a coma.
He opened up about the experience years later in an interview with Beats 1 when he revealed:
"I was partying a lot.
I wasn't like a junkie per se, but I was partying.
I was the dumb kid that was just taking it too far.
If you put a line of something in front of me, I was like, 'Yeah, I'll do that.'"
Luckily, the drummer was able to recover.
It seems that the potentially deadly experience motivated the star to seek help in order to
overcome his excessive drug use.
The star spoke on the topic of his 2001 overdose again in a 2021 interview for Kerrang!.
"I mistakenly did something and it changed everything.
I believed the bulls–t myth of live hard and fast, die young.
I'm glad it got knocked on the head at that point.
I wouldn't take anything away that I've done or been through either, because it's all part
of the trip and the journey."
Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins were close friends over the years, with the Foo Fighters frontman
even often referring to Hawkins as his "brother."
So it is hard to imagine the pair ever disliking each other.
But it turns out the two bandmates once got into a heated argument during Coachella in
the early 2000s that almost ended in Hawkins leaving the group.
In a 2021 interview with Rolling Stone, Hawkins broke down the events that led up to his temporary
departure from the Foo Fighters.
He revealed that the fight boiled down to him being a "know-it-all" and arguing with
Dave Grohl without considering anyone else's point of view.
Dave put his foot down, telling Taylor he could either get on board or quit the band.
And that's what Hawkins did.
Luckily for Foo Fighters fans, this was not the end of Hawkins' stint with the band.
The bandmates were able to mend things right before their performance at the music event,
which went incredibly well.
The late drummer went on to explain he had a heart-to-heart conversation with Grohl about
the band's future afterward, and they went on to headline the Reading Festival for the
first time.
In March 2022, Taylor Hawkins was found dead in his hotel room in Bogota, Colombia.
The drummer was on tour with the Foo Fighters at the time, still traveling the world and
putting on incredible performances at the age of 50.
The band took to Twitter to announce the tragedy, sharing a heart-wrenching message that read
in part:
"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."
After an initial analysis, it was revealed in a toxicology report that 10 substances
were found in Hawkins' body.
THC, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opioids were among the substances found in
Hawkins' system after his death.
Dave Grohl was hit hard by Taylor Hawkins' death.
In late March 2022, he was photographed in tears at a Los Angeles airport, where he made
his return to the U.S.
The photos showed how the Foo Fighters as a whole were visibly upset while Grohl hugged
a man believed to be the group's manager.
Of course, the star's saddened reaction is expected given his longtime closeness to Hawkins.
Grohl once told radio station 95.5 KLOS that he and Hawkins hit it off from the start.
"I was like, 'Wow, you're either my twin or my spirit animal, or my best friend!'
In the first 10 seconds of meeting him.
And, of course, I'd seen him play the drums, and I thought he was an amazing drummer."
At the time, the former Nirvana drummer was in the process of founding the Foo Fighters,
and Hawkins was playing drums during Alanis Morissette's tour in support of "Jagged Little
Pill."
"Taylor you were the second, second drummer for Foo Fighters."
Fast forward two years, and a spot eventually opened up for Hawkins to replace the group's
former drummer as work on their "The Colour and the Shape" debut album wrapped up.
The bandmates, of course, meshed well together musically and personally, and they continued
to work alongside each other for 25 years, right up until the day of Hawkins' death.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available.
Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact
SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).