The music world woke up to a sad piece of news on Friday (March 25) as Rock band Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins has passed away at 50. There were no immediate details about how Hawkins died, though the band said in a statement that his death was a “tragic and untimely loss.”
A message on the band’s official Twitter account was also emailed to reporters. It read,“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.”
After Foo Fighters founder and frontman Dave Grohl, Hawkins was probably the most prominent member of the group, appearing alongside Grohl in interviews and playing prominent roles in the band’s videos.
To mourn Hawkins’ demise his musical contemporaries immediately took to social media and sent out to celebrate his “spirit and unstoppable rock power.” In the Foo Fighters’ own statement, the band highlighted the 50-year-old’s “musical spirit and infectious laughter.”
Rage Against the Machine’s musician Tom Morello took to Twitter and penned a note, along with a throwback picture with Hawkins, as he moured the late drummer’s demise. “ God bless you Taylor Hawkins. I loved your spirit and your unstoppable rock power. Rest In Peace my friend,” wrote Morello.
English singer Ozzy Osbourne remembered Hawkins as “a great person and an amazing musician.” He tweeted, “ @TaylorHawkinswas truly a great person and an amazing musician. My heart, my love and my condolences go out to his wife, his children, his family, his band and his fans. See you on the other side – Ozzy.”
. @TaylorHawkins was truly a great person and an amazing musician. My heart, my love and my condolences go out to his wife, his children, his family, his band and his fans. See you on the other side – Ozzy— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) March 26, 2022
Billie Eilish’s brother Finneas O’Connell said that he feels heartbroken to know about the demise of Taylor Hawkins. “So heartbroken to hear about Taylor Hawkins’ passing, what an incredible talent, who didn’t also need to be so kind and generous and cool but was all those things too anyway. The world was so lucky to have his gifts for the time that it did, Rest In Peace,”tweeted Finneas.
So heartbroken to hear about Taylor Hawkins’ passing, what an incredible talent, who didn’t also need to be so kind and generous and cool but was all those things too anyway. The world was so lucky to have his gifts for the time that it did, Rest In Peace— FINNEAS (@finneas) March 26, 2022
Kiss’ Paul Stanley wrote that he was “speechless and gutted” by the news.
Rock band Halestorms’ Lzzy Hale shared the statement by Foo Fighters on Twitter and sent out love and prayers to Foos and their families. She wrote, “My heart is broken. This is devastating. Our love goes out to the Foos and their families.”
Hawkins was Foo Fighters’ drummer for 25 of the band’s 28 years of existence, taking over for original drummer William Goldsmith in 1997.
Born Oliver Taylor Hawkins in Fort Worth Texas in 1972, Hawkins was raised in Laguna Beach, California. He played in the small Southern California band Sylvia before landing his first major gig as a drummer for Canadian singer Sass Jordan. He then spent the mid-1990s as the touring drummer for Alanis Morissette before Grohl asked him to join the Foo Fighters.
It’s the second time Grohl has experienced the death of a close bandmate. Grohl was the drummer for Nirvana when Kurt Cobain died in 1994.
Hawkins is survived by his wife Alison and their three children.
