Foo Fighters' Drummer Taylor Hawkins Has Died Aged 50

Foo Fighters' drummer Taylor Hawkins has died at the age of 50.

The band broke the tragic news by releasing the following statement:

They had been due to perform at a festival in Bogotá, Colombia on Friday night but they pulled out shortly before the news broke. No cause of death has been released as of yet.

Hawkins, who joined Foo Fighters in 1997, is survived by his wife, Alison, and their three children. The pair have been married since 2005.

The 50-year-old went on to become a star for the band, providing vocals, guitar and piano to various recordings in addition to his drumming duties. He was listed as a co-writer on every album since 1999's There Is Nothing Left To Lose.

He forged his own identity as a drummer immaculately, becoming the drumming behind one of the most iconic drummers in recent music history in former Nirvana man Dave Grohl.

Alamy

Before joining Foo Fighters, Hawkins was the touring drummer for Alanis Morrissette from 1995-1997.

He also took part in many side projects while in the band, including bands Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, Chevy Metal, and The Birds of Satan, releasing multiple LPs and albums. In 2005, he was named Best Rock Drummer by magazine Rhythm.

Hawkins linked up with two other famous drummers Roger Taylor, of Queen, and Chad Smith, of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, to form supergroup SOS Allstars to perform at Live Earth's 2007 charity concert.

More recently he'd starred in the film Studio 666, a 2022 comedy horror film, with his Foo Fighters bandmates in a story that was written by Dave Grohl. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, together with Foo Fighters, by Paul McCartney in 2021.

The band were due to perform at the Grammys on April 3^rd, with a North American tour scheduled for May.

Tributes have already started pouring in for the drumming legend.

Alamy

RIP Taylor Hawkins.