Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins dead at 50: Cops issue update

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Taylor Hawkins, the drummer for Foo Fighters, has died at the age of 50, the band posted in a message to its Instagram page Friday night.

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“The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins,” read the message. “His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever.”

The post continued, adding, “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.”

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No cause of death was given, but on Saturday afternoon, the New York Post reported that journalist Luis Carlos Velez tweeted that “Colombian authorities found: marijuana, antidepressants, opioids and heroin” in his room at the Four Seasons Casa Medina in Bogota.

The band is currently on tour in South America and its last performance was March 20 at Lollapalooza Argentina. They were scheduled to play Friday night in Bogota, Colombia, at the Festival Estereo Picnic.

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Hawkins, who played with Sass Jordan early in his career was the touring drummer during Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill era, joined the Foo Fighters in 1997 during the recording of The Colour and the Shape after the departure of William Goldsmith. He also fronted his own side project, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, formed The Birds of Satan and contributed to the Eagles of Death Metal.

“The Alanis Morissette tour everybody thinks that was all sitting around, lighting candles and talking intelligently about synergy and big words,” Hawkins told the Sun in 2014. “That band was so gnarly. We were such scumbags. Alanis had no idea.”

Like many other rock musicians, Hawkins struggled with drug abuse and suffered an overdose in London in 2001.

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“Everyone has their own path, and I took it too far,” Hawkins told Kerrang! last year, adding that he once subscribed to the “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.”

A statement carried by several Colombian newspapers, and reprinted by the Daily Mail on Saturday morning, said that “according to those close to him, the death could be related to the consumption of drugs.”

“We have begun an investigation to establish the cause of death of the musician, but for now we don’t have any available information to share. As the investigation advances we will,” a source at the attorney general’s office, who was not authorized to speak to the press, told Reuters on Saturday.

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Bogota’s health department said an ambulance was sent to the hotel members of the band were staying in after an emergency call reported a man experiencing chest pains. Hawkins did not respond to CPR and was declared dead, it added.

On social media, Hawkins was recalled for his infectious performances onstage.

“I loved your spirit and unstoppable rock power,” Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave’s Tom Morello wrote. Ozzy Osbourne hailed him as a “a great person and an amazing musician.”

Canada’s Nickelback called his death “incredibly sad,” while former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy remembered Hawkins as a “gem of a guy who was always fun to be around.”

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In an interview with the Sun last month, founder member and vocalist Dave Grohl reflected on the longevity of the band, saying that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers were a success because they shared an unbreakable bond.

“In the Foo Fighters’ world, you don’t have to do anything. If you don’t want to do it, don’t f—ing do it. If you’re not into it, f—ing just say the word. That’s why we’ve lasted so long,” Grohl said. “Also, we genuinely love each other. There is bottom-line no question about that. We run not so much like a gang, but like a f—ing family. It really is that way.”

The band, who released its 10th album Medicine At Midnight last year and spoofed themselves in the recent horror-comedy Studio 666, were always ready to create musical magic.

“We walk into a studio and we can’t wait to hit the red button and go. Every album, we love recording,” Grohl said. “I’ve never walked in and said, ‘F—, I’ve got nothing.’ We always have something, and that’s the chemistry in the band.”

Hawkins is survived by his wife, Alison, and their three children.

mdaniell@postmedia.com

Article content

Taylor Hawkins, the drummer for Foo Fighters, has died at the age of 50, the band posted in a message to its Instagram page Friday night.

Article content

“The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins,” read the message. “His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever.”

The post continued, adding, “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.”

Article content

Article content

No cause of death was given, but on Saturday afternoon, the New York Post reported that journalist Luis Carlos Velez tweeted that “Colombian authorities found: marijuana, antidepressants, opioids and heroin” in his room at the Four Seasons Casa Medina in Bogota.

The band is currently on tour in South America and its last performance was March 20 at Lollapalooza Argentina. They were scheduled to play Friday night in Bogota, Colombia, at the Festival Estereo Picnic.

Article content

Hawkins, who played with Sass Jordan early in his career was the touring drummer during Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill era, joined the Foo Fighters in 1997 during the recording of The Colour and the Shape after the departure of William Goldsmith. He also fronted his own side project, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, formed The Birds of Satan and contributed to the Eagles of Death Metal.

“The Alanis Morissette tour everybody thinks that was all sitting around, lighting candles and talking intelligently about synergy and big words,” Hawkins told the Sun in 2014. “That band was so gnarly. We were such scumbags. Alanis had no idea.”

Like many other rock musicians, Hawkins struggled with drug abuse and suffered an overdose in London in 2001.

Article content

“Everyone has their own path, and I took it too far,” Hawkins told Kerrang! last year, adding that he once subscribed to the “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.”

A statement carried by several Colombian newspapers, and reprinted by the Daily Mail on Saturday morning, said that “according to those close to him, the death could be related to the consumption of drugs.”

“We have begun an investigation to establish the cause of death of the musician, but for now we don’t have any available information to share. As the investigation advances we will,” a source at the attorney general’s office, who was not authorized to speak to the press, told Reuters on Saturday.

Article content

Bogota’s health department said an ambulance was sent to the hotel members of the band were staying in after an emergency call reported a man experiencing chest pains. Hawkins did not respond to CPR and was declared dead, it added.

On social media, Hawkins was recalled for his infectious performances onstage.

“I loved your spirit and unstoppable rock power,” Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave’s Tom Morello wrote. Ozzy Osbourne hailed him as a “a great person and an amazing musician.”

Canada’s Nickelback called his death “incredibly sad,” while former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy remembered Hawkins as a “gem of a guy who was always fun to be around.”

Article content

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In an interview with the Sun last month, founder member and vocalist Dave Grohl reflected on the longevity of the band, saying that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers were a success because they shared an unbreakable bond.

“In the Foo Fighters’ world, you don’t have to do anything. If you don’t want to do it, don’t f—ing do it. If you’re not into it, f—ing just say the word. That’s why we’ve lasted so long,” Grohl said. “Also, we genuinely love each other. There is bottom-line no question about that. We run not so much like a gang, but like a f—ing family. It really is that way.”

The band, who released its 10th album Medicine At Midnight last year and spoofed themselves in the recent horror-comedy Studio 666, were always ready to create musical magic.

“We walk into a studio and we can’t wait to hit the red button and go. Every album, we love recording,” Grohl said. “I’ve never walked in and said, ‘F—, I’ve got nothing.’ We always have something, and that’s the chemistry in the band.”

Hawkins is survived by his wife, Alison, and their three children.

mdaniell@postmedia.com