The entire music world has been in mourning following the untimely death of Foo Fighters'
drummer, Taylor Hawkins.
On March 25th, the charismatic Hawkins, who had manned the drum kit for the band since
1997, died at a hotel in Bogotá, Colombia, ahead of a scheduled performance at Festival
Estéreo Picnic.
In the wake of Hawkins' death, Foo Fighters were forced to cancel that performance as
well as another scheduled show at Lollapalooza Brazil, and all of their upcoming tour dates.
Hawkins died just about an hour before he and the band were supposed to play.
Fans were already at the venue waiting to see Hawkins and his bandmates perform, but,
upon hearing the tragic news of his death, the stage was turned into a memorial, with
candles placed on stage as a vigil.
Colombian authorities launched an investigation into Hawkins' death, and since then details
have been trickling out about this tragedy.
"So Taylor, besides being the best f—ing drummer I've ever seen in my life…
I think he's great."
At the time of Hawkins' death, Foo Fighters were in the midst of a string of South American
festival dates.
On March 20th, Hawkins played what would tragically prove to be his final show.
It was a headlining set at Lollapalooza Argentina.
Two days later, on March 22nd, Foo Fighters were in Paraguay for the Asunciónico Festival,
but the show was canceled due to severe weather.
A call was made to emergency responders on the evening of March 25th about a man suffering
from chest pains.
They were called to the band's hotel north of Bogotá, and upon arrival, attempts were
made to administer CPR and resuscitate Hawkins.
These efforts were unsuccessful and the musician was pronounced dead.
Hawkins' death came shortly before Foo Fighters were due on stage, and festival organizers
announced to the crowd that the band would be unable to perform at the festival that
night.
Foo Fighters released their own statement on social media, which read:
"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.
Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated
with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time."
The band's final show of their South American run was supposed to be in São Paulo at Lollapalooza
Brazil.
Foo Fighters were replaced by Miley Cyrus, who dedicated her set to Hawkins.
She told the crowd:
"I would have done anything to hang out with him one more time."
Meanwhile, Queen drummer Roger Taylor — one of Hawkins' idols — posted on Instagram:
"He was a kind brilliant man and an inspirational mentor to my son Rufus and the best friend
one could ever have."
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page also posted a memorial photo of him and Hawkins on Instagram.
He wrote:
"It was so good to play with him.
I really admired him and he was a brilliant musician: his technique, his energy and spirited
enthusiasm.
On this sad day, I would like to send my condolences to his family, his band members in the Foos
and his fans."
Colombian officials immediately launched an investigation into Hawkins' cause of death.
The first piece of information that came out about Hawkins' death was from a preliminary
toxicology report obtained from a urine sample.
The test revealed that Hawkins' sample tested positive for 10 substances that included tricyclic
antidepressants, benzodiazepines, opioids, and THC, a compound found in marijuana.
Hawkins' battles with substance abuse has been well-documented, and an overdose while
on tour in 2001 had left him in a coma.
In 2019, he told Kerrang!:
"I was partying in London one night, and I mistakenly did something and it changed everything.
I believed the bulls--- myth of live hard and fast, die young.
I'm not here to preach about not doing drugs, because I loved doing drugs, but I just got
out of control for a while and it almost got me."
As the investigation progressed, forensic investigators performing Hawkins' autopsy
discovered that the musician's heart was around twice the size of a heart typically found
in a man his age.
It was also reported that Hawkins suffered a cardiac collapse brought on by consuming
an array of substances, including heroin, antidepressants, and benzodiazepines.
Some of the earlier reports alleged that a police officer who arrived on the scene noted
a white powder that was described as "cocaine-like."
However, nothing to that effect appeared anywhere in the Attorney General's statement released
after the autopsy.
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).