Taylor Hawkins' untimely death at age 50 has shocked fans and fellow musicians alike.
Newsweek writes that the body of the Foo Fighters' drummer was found in a hotel room in Bogotá,
Columbia while the band was on tour.
As of the making of this video, an official cause of death has not been revealed.
Hawkins originally joined Foo Fighters in 1997.
At the time, he had been working as Alanis Morissette's drummer when he met Dave Grohl.
Hawkins joined the Foo Fighters shortly after.
"For the next 25 years, he would be known as the long-haired board shirt wearing drummer
of one of the world's biggest rock and roll bands."
In his 25 years with the Foo Fighters, Hawkins gained the respect and admiration of many
of his musical peers.
Heavy Consequence reports that Perry Farrell from Jane's Addiction referred to Hawkins
as his "best friend."
Farrell performed with Foo Fighters in Argentina on March 20, in what would be Hawkins' final
show.
Roger Taylor, the drummer for Queen and a noted inspiration to Hawkins, stated that
Hawkins' death felt like "losing a younger favorite brother."
He's not alone in this sentiment.
Since the announcement of Hawkins' death on March 25, several other musicians have paid
tribute to him, including rock's prince of darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne.
According to Rock Cellar Magazine, the Foo Fighters and Ozzy Osbourne go way back.
MTV reports that in early 1998, Foo Fighters were on a world tour.
Although it was speculated that they were going to perform in that year's Ozzfest, nothing
had been confirmed.
When Korn canceled their appearance at the festival, Foo Fighters were asked to take
their slot.
One report writes that the band was shocked that Ozzfest wanted them since they weren't
a metal band.
Nonetheless, Foo Fighters agreed, and performed on June 20, 1998 at the Milton Keynes National
Bowl in the U.K.
Per the Foo Fighters Live, the band performed what they thought were their heavier songs
to appease the rowdy crowd.
This included their hits "My Hero," "Monkey Wrench," and "Everlong."
It wouldn't be the last time that Hawkins' professional career would overlap with Ozzy
Osbourne, however.
In late 2020, it was announced that Taylor Hawkins was working on Ozzy Osbourne's new
studio album.
This might have come as a shock to fans, since the news came only two years after Foo Fighters
was accused of ripping off Ozzy Osbourne's 1991 song "Desire."
Many believe the song sounds a lot like the Foo Fighters 2002 song "All My Life."
Despite this, Osbourne's longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde refuted these claims, saying, quote,
"I think everybody gets inspired by everything."
As for Osbourne's new album, Ultimate Classic Rock reports that Robert Trujillo from Metallica
and Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith were also attached to the project.
This album is a follow-up to Osbourne's 2020 critically acclaimed album "Ordinary Man."
Producer Andrew Watt stated that production on the new album was delayed due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
However, he took time to praise Hawkins' contribution, saying that it, quote, "hearkened back to
Ozzy's '80s era, in a great way."
Watt went on to explain that half of the album will feature Chad Smith on drums, while the
other half will have Hawkins.
As of March 2022, this new album has not been released and a drop date has not been set.
It's clear that Hawkins and Osbourne had a deep professional relationship.
When news of Hawkins' shocking death came to light, Osbourne tweeted that Hawkins "was
truly a great person and an amazing musician."
He went on to send his condolences to Hawkins' family, the other members of Foo Fighters,
and their fans.
Additionally, Osbourne's wife, Sharon, tweeted a black and white photo of Hawkins that included
the words, "sending all our love to his wife and children."
CNN reports that funeral plans for the late drummer are currently unknown.
Besides Foo Fighters, Hawkins' had other musical ventures.
He had his own band, called Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, and he also played
with Chevy Metal, a cover band, and The Birds of Satan.
Most recently, he formed a new band, NHC, with Jane's Addiction members Dave Navarro
and Chris Chaney.
The band released their singles "Feed The Cruel" and "Better Move On" in September 2021.