When the Foo Fighters canceled their Festival Estéreo Picnic concert in Bogotá , Columbia,
just as fans were starting to show up, they weren't given a reason why.
Minutes later, however, the band announced in a tweet the devastating news: their drummer,
Taylor Hawkins, had died.
One fan, who traveled to Bogotá for the concert, told CNN:
"We were getting into position when they announced that the Foo Fighters would not be performing.
About 10 minutes later, the news broke that Taylor had died."
Fans who had gathered for the concert covered the stage in candles while the message "Taylor
Hawkins Por Siempre" — Spanish for "Taylor Hawkins Forever" — was projected onto the
screens.
Fans also placed candles and flowers outside the hotel where the drummer had died.
The band's statement 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."
Only 50 at the time of his death, Hawkins had been a member of the Foo Fighters since
1997, following his time as Alanis Morissette's drummer during the height of her Jagged Little
Pill popularity.
Like so many others, he suffered from anxiety, which manifested in massive stage fright — despite
his talent and the band's success.
From his stage presence, you couldn't tell Hawkins was often petrified to be up there.
In his final interview with Rolling Stone, Hawkins explained:
"I have major stage fright, major, major, major."
Discussing a show he'd have to perform that night, he said:
"I'm in hell right now.
[...] Everything in my body is wrong.
My leg doesn't feel right […] like all these kind of crazy psychosis kind of things."
But when the interviewer asked if Hawkins had to be "totally sober" in order to perform,
he answered:
"Oh my God, dude.
You see what I do.
Yeah, for good results, yeah."
According to a press release issued by local health officials, on the night Hawkins died
an ambulance was dispatched to the hotel where he was staying, after the emergency center
received reports of "a patient with chest pains."
While attempts were made to resuscitate the drummer, "there was no response, and the patient
was declared deceased."
The attorney general's office in Colombia said in a tweet Saturday morning that a "team
of prosecutors and investigators was assigned to attend the urgent matter and support the
investigation."
As of the making of this video, no official cause of death for Taylor Hawkins has been
released.
However, the Metropolitan Police of Bogotá admitted in a statement that "the death could
be related to the consumption of drugs" based on information provided by those close to
Hawkins.
A newly released toxicology report obtained by the BBC showed traces of opioids, marijuana,
antidepressants, and other substances in his body at the time of his death.
Since Hawkins' death was announced, questions have been asked about whether this could have
been another overdose.
In 2001, Hawkins was in London when he took a near-fatal overdose that had him in a coma
for two weeks, per NME.
Details about the incident and Hawkins' recovery process are sparse, but Hawkins did tell the
"Beats 1" podcast in 2018 that:
"I have my system that works for me."
His overdose also made him reflect on his relationship with drugs.
In a 2021 interview with Kerrang!, Hawkins revealed that he feared what drugs could have
done to him, saying:
"...I just got out of control for a while and it almost got me.
I was heading down a road that was going to lead to even worse paths."
One thing that is known for certain, though, is that Taylor Hawkins has left an everlasting
mark on the music community.
Ricardo Rodríguez, a Colombian drummer, told NBC News:
"[He was a] musician, a composer with a lot of creativity, a complete soul is lost, a
soul in music."
"Greatest drummer of all time."
"Dave Grohl, of course."
"Greatest drummer of all time."
"Taylor Hawkins, of course."
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).