Taylor Hawkins, the exciting and charismatic drummer of the Foo Fighters, has died at 50.
The news broke when the band released a statement on social media announcing his passing.
Foo Fighters Taylor Hawkins dies
Foo Fighters released a statement on social media, but no cause of death was revealed.
The band also asked for fans to respect his family’s privacy at this time.
“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.”
Taylor Hawkins married his wife Alison in 2005. The two have three children together and lived in California.
Foo Fighters are currently on tour in South America and were preparing to perform at Festival Estereo Picnic in Bogota, Colombia.
Taylor Hawkins was a heavy drummer
Taylor Hawkins was born in Texas but grew up in California.
He began playing early in his life but reached his earliest success in 1995 when he was 23. He got the job playing drums for Alanis Morissette on her Jagged Little Pill and Can’t Not tours.
He was also the drummer in the music videos for You Oughta Know, All I Really Want, and You Learn.
Taylor left Alanis Morissette’s band in 1997 and joined the Foo Fighters after original drummer William Goldsmith quit the band.
It was a pressure situation because lead singer Dave Grohl was a drummer by trade, originally with the band Nirvana. However, in Foo Fighters, Grohl wanted to find a different drummer and Taylor was his man.
Taylor joined the band because he wanted to be part of a hard rock band and not a drummer for a solo act.
Taylor’s first album with Foo Fighters was There Is Nothing Left to Lose in 1999 and he played on nine albums with the group.
Mike Portnoy, one of rock and roll’s greatest drummers with Dream Theater, posted a tribute to Taylor.
“I’ve always had so much admiration for him. Amazing drummer & a gem of a guy who was always fun to be around. I’m absolutely gutted.”
He also had his own band, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, which released three albums from 2006 to 2019. He also played with The Birds of Satan in 2014 and Coheed and Cambria in 2007.
He also released a solo album in 2016 called Kota.
Most recently, Taylor Hawkins appeared in the movie Studio 666, playing a fictional version of himself along with his Foo Fighters bandmates.