Taylor Hawkins: Foo Fighters' drummer dies aged 50

[Sarzy]

The drummer with US rock group Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins, has died aged 50, the band have announced.



The band said they were "devastated by the tragic and untimely loss" in a statement on social media. No cause of death has been given.

Hawkins played with Foo Fighters for more than two decades, joining shortly after they finished making their 1997 album The Colour and the Shape.

The band are currently on tour in South America.
"His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live with us forever," Foo Fighters wrote.
"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."

Foo Fighters were formed in 1994 by Dave Grohl, after his previous group Nirvana disbanded following the suicide of lead singer Kurt Cobain.
While Grohl drummed for Nirvana, he took on lead vocals and guitar in Foo Fighters, and so Hawkins had the daunting task of drumming in a group founded by one of the most celebrated drummers in rock.
"I was a little nervous at first, but I got over that," he told OC Weekly soon after joining.
"Any instance where you're auditioning for something, you're going to be nervous. But no-one can play better than Dave Grohl. He just has this vision in his head."

The two sometimes swapped roles during the band's concerts, with Hawkins taking on vocals. After news of his death was announced many fans shared clips of him singing Queen's Somebody to Love.

Before joining Foo Fighters, Hawkins drummed for Alanis Morissette.

The band had been due to perform on Friday night at the Estereo Picnic festival in Bogota, Colombia. The US embassy in Bogota expressed its "sincerest condolences" to the drummer's family, friends and fans.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60884259

[dolem]

This makes me so f-ing sad. I love the Foo Fighters. Poor Dave. Sad for all the families and friends.

RIP Taylor, you were one hell of a drummer.

[loftybike]

That's so awful. My heart goes out for his family, friends and fans.

I feel for Dave. A drummer who starts singing because he lost his frontman and now he loses his drummer?

[tulip]

Very sad. Too young. RIP.

[power_nap]

I am gutted. RIP, Taylor. I'll still be listening to your legacy.

[holly]

Foo Fighters are one of my favorite bands. This makes me so sad.

[dowcat]

'White powder and hallucinogens' were found in Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins' five-star hotel room in Bogota after his sudden 'drug-related' death age 50

• Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has died at the age of 50, the band has announced

• Taylor was found dead in a hotel room in Bogota, Colombia where the band were due to play at a festival
  

• Colombian journalist Luis Carlos Velez claimed white powder 'similar to cocaine' was found in the room
  
  

• The Bogota-based director of radio station FM, said: 'A police officer who entered the room told prosecutors he saw a "cocaine-like powder" in Taylor Hawkins' room. Drug use has not been confirmed yet'
  
  
• Colombian newspaper El Tiempo said a confidential report it had been informed about pointed to hallucinogens being found in the hotel room
  
  
• Band just completed a host of tour dates in South America and was due to appear at The Grammy's in April
• The band said it was 'devastated by the untimely loss' and asked for the privacy of his family to be respected
• Foo Fighters were on tour in South America and the band had played in San Isidro, Argentina, last Sunday
• The drummer starred in the world famous band alongside singer Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett and Rami Jaffee
  
  

White powder 'similar to cocaine', and hallucinogens, were allegedly found in the five-star Casa Medina hotel room of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who has died aged 50.



Well-known Colombian journalist Luis Carlos Velez, the Bogota-based director of radio station FM, claimed earlier today that a police officer who entered Hawkins' room had told prosecutors he saw a 'cocaine-like' white powder.

Meanwhile, respected Colombian newspaper El Tiempo said a confidential report it had been informed about pointed to hallucinogens - mind-altering drugs that can include LSD - being found inside the hotel room.



Velez added: 'In the room, Colombian authorities found an empty beer can, an opened bottle of vodka, a Coca-Cola bottle and some other articles which are being analysed by authorities.



'Witnesses at the hotel tell me Taylor Hawkins called the front desk for help due to "chest pain" before being found dead in his room.'



One unconfirmed local report said several glasses were found inside the drummer's room, sparking speculation he had been entertaining guests before his death.



Colombia's State Prosecution Service, in its first official comments on the tragedy, confirmed: 'As soon as we were made aware of the death of foreign national Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters drummer, who was staying at a hotel in the north of Bogota, a team of prosecutors and investigators was mobilised to deal with urgent matters and support the investigation.'



Prosecution officials have not yet made any official comment regarding the speculation the musician's death may be drug-related.


Members of the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) remove the lifeless body of the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins, at the Casa Medina hotel, in Bogota, Colomia





White powder 'similar to cocaine', and hallucinogens, were allegedly found in the five-star Casa Medina hotel room of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who has died aged 50. (Above, file image of a hotel room at the Casa Medina in Bogota)

The 50-year-old drummer who has a history of drug use died in a hotel room in the north of Colombia's capital.



The Metropolitan Police of Bogota, in a statement carried by several Colombian newspapers, said: 'The cause of death has yet to be established. According to those close to him, the death could be related to the consumption of drugs.'



Local reports said hotel staff called the emergency services after Hawkins suffered chest pains but he was already dead by the time medical responders arrived. Foo Fighters had been scheduled to play at a concert in the Colombian capital.



Hawkins, a father to two teenage children, had openly discussed his drug and overdose struggles years before what the band called his 'tragic and untimely' death.



Four years after joining Foo Fighters, Hawkins overdosed on heroin and ended up in a coma in 2001 which he later described as the result of him 'taking it too far'.



Colombian music and entertainment journalist Alejandro Marin tweeted as news of the drummer's death emerged: 'Don't begin to blame the country because Taylor died in Colombia if he died of an overdose. Don't be so stupid.'



Shortly after Hawkins' death was announced, dozens of fans together with journalists and videographers began to gather outside the hotel where the band had been staying. Many appeared to be in complete shock at the news with some lighting candles.

Ambulances and police cars could be seen stationed outside of the property. Later on Friday night, Hawkins' body was finally brought out of the hotel, placed into a coroner's van and driven away.



The group had been scheduled to play at the Festival Estéreo Picnic in the Colombian capital where an announcement told concert-goers that the band would not be playing due to a 'serious medical condition'.



Hawkins, who was married to his wife Alison and a father to two teenage children, Oliver and Annabelle, had just completed a host of tour dates in South America with the band last playing in San Isidro, Argentina, last Sunday.



Health chiefs in Bogota appeared to be signalling last night that Hawkins suffered a heart attack.



The Secretariat of Health issued a statement which confirmed the Foo Fighters drummer had sparked a medical emergency after suffering 'chest pains'.



It said: 'With regards to the death of the American musician Taylor Hawkins in the neighbourhood of Chapinero, which happened on Friday night, the City Health Department states the following:



'The city’s Emergency Regulation Centre received an alert about a patient with chest pain in a hotel located in the north of the city.



'An ambulance was sent to attend to this case. However when the health department teams arrived, they found a mobile response unit from the company EMI at the scene.'



'The health professional that was dealing with the emergency indicated attempts to revive the patient had been carried out but there had been no response and the patient was pronounced dead.



'The relevant authorities removed the body and started work on the investigations required as part of these types of incidents.



'We regret the death of this talented and world-famous drummer and send a message of condolences to his family, bandmates and fans.'



It made no mention of drugs in its statement, despite the fact police had alluded to Mr Hawkins' death possibly being drug-related earlier in the day.



Local reports had already referred to hotel staff at Casa Medina, the luxury hotel Hawkins was staying at, calling in emergency response teams after the drummer suffered chest pains.



Hawkins joined the band in 1997 after the group completed their second album, The Colour and the Shape.



Prior to being in Foo Fighters, Hawkins played drums for Alanis Morissette from whom he was recruited by frontman Dave Grohl - Nirvana's own legendary drummer.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10654649/Foo-Fighters-drummer-Taylor-Hawkins-death-Colombian-hotel-room-drugs-related-police-say.html

[no]

a white powder, huh?  could it have been fentanyl?  because that garbage is powdery and white just like cocaine is.

[trixie]

^ I had the same thought. I've been reading so much about people dying from cocaine laced with fentanyl.

[Froogy]

Taylor Hawkins' Toxicology Report Shows Opioids, Antidepressants, THC in Foo Fighters Drummer's System

Shafiq Najib

Sat, March 26, 2022, 6:22 PM

taylro hawkins

taylro hawkins

Robert Knight Archive/Redferns



A toxicology report for late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins shows the musician had multiple types of substances in his system at the time of death.



"The toxicology test on urine from Taylor Hawkins' body preliminarily found 10 types of substances, including: THC, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opioids," the Attorney General's Office of Colombia shared Saturday in a statement (translated from Spanish) on its Twitter account.



"The National Institute of Legal Medicine is continuing medical studies to completely clarify the cause of death for Taylor Hawkins," continued the statement. The Attorney General's office will also continue conducting its own investigation.



The Foo Fighters confirmed Hawkins' sudden death at 50 late Friday night on social media.



RELATED: Ringo Starr, Finneas, Billy Idol and More Mourn the Loss of Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins: 'So Tragic'



"The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins," the band shared in a statement on Twitter. "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."



A rep for Hawkins and Foo Fighters has not commented further.



On Friday, an ambulance was dispatched to a hotel in the north of Bogotá in Chapinero, Colombia, to assist a patient — believed to be Hawkins — according to a statement from the city's health secretary.



"The health professional who attended the emergency indicated that they performed the respective resuscitation maneuvers," the statement said in Spanish. "However, there was no response and the patient was declared deceased."



RELATED: Foo Fighters Drummer Taylor Hawkins Dead at 50: 'His Musical Spirit Will Live On'



Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported that Hawkins was staying at the Casa Medina hotel at the time of his death. Representatives for Casa Medina and the Four Seasons hotel group have not responded to PEOPLE's request for comment.



Taylor Hawkins

Taylor Hawkins

Kevin Winter/Getty



During his last in-person interview with Rolling Stone in June 2021, Hawkins declined to answer a question about sobriety, telling the outlet at the time, "I just lead a really healthy lifestyle."



"I've been down that road with people so much, and it's been like a thing," he shared. "That's kind of been an arc of my life so much. It's like my story and the band too, almost sometimes, is my big f—ing f—up in London 20 years ago." (The drummer entered into a two-week-long coma after overdosing in 2001.)



Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.



He also explained he did not want the subject to become the "centerpiece" of his story.



"I don't want to talk about it, I don't want my son reading it," he added. "Listen, for anyone out there who has problems and their f—ing life is a mess, yeah, I get it. You know, my life has been there plenty of times, so I get it."



Hawkins and his bandmates — Dave Grohl, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, Nate Mendel, and Rami Jaffee — were set to perform Friday at the Festival Estéreo Picnic in Bogotá. However, the organizers revealed the headliners would not be appearing due to a medical emergency.



Earlier this week, the band was touring South America and had played at Lollapalooza Argentina. The band has since canceled the remainder of its South American tour.

www.yahoo.com/entertainment/taylor-hawkins-toxicology-report-shows-232210722.html


I find it interesting they already have a tox screen back.  It usually takes at least a week in the US.

[albatross]

Mar 27, 2022 0:51:02 GMT Froogy said:

Taylor Hawkins' Toxicology Report Shows Opioids, Antidepressants, THC in Foo Fighters Drummer's System

Shafiq Najib

Sat, March 26, 2022, 6:22 PM

taylro hawkins

taylro hawkins

Robert Knight Archive/Redferns



A toxicology report for late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins shows the musician had multiple types of substances in his system at the time of death.



"The toxicology test on urine from Taylor Hawkins' body preliminarily found 10 types of substances, including: THC, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opioids," the Attorney General's Office of Colombia shared Saturday in a statement (translated from Spanish) on its Twitter account.



"The National Institute of Legal Medicine is continuing medical studies to completely clarify the cause of death for Taylor Hawkins," continued the statement. The Attorney General's office will also continue conducting its own investigation.



The Foo Fighters confirmed Hawkins' sudden death at 50 late Friday night on social media.



RELATED: Ringo Starr, Finneas, Billy Idol and More Mourn the Loss of Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins: 'So Tragic'



"The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins," the band shared in a statement on Twitter. "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."



A rep for Hawkins and Foo Fighters has not commented further.



On Friday, an ambulance was dispatched to a hotel in the north of Bogotá in Chapinero, Colombia, to assist a patient — believed to be Hawkins — according to a statement from the city's health secretary.



"The health professional who attended the emergency indicated that they performed the respective resuscitation maneuvers," the statement said in Spanish. "However, there was no response and the patient was declared deceased."



RELATED: Foo Fighters Drummer Taylor Hawkins Dead at 50: 'His Musical Spirit Will Live On'



Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported that Hawkins was staying at the Casa Medina hotel at the time of his death. Representatives for Casa Medina and the Four Seasons hotel group have not responded to PEOPLE's request for comment.



Taylor Hawkins

Taylor Hawkins

Kevin Winter/Getty



During his last in-person interview with Rolling Stone in June 2021, Hawkins declined to answer a question about sobriety, telling the outlet at the time, "I just lead a really healthy lifestyle."



"I've been down that road with people so much, and it's been like a thing," he shared. "That's kind of been an arc of my life so much. It's like my story and the band too, almost sometimes, is my big f—ing f—up in London 20 years ago." (The drummer entered into a two-week-long coma after overdosing in 2001.)



Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.



He also explained he did not want the subject to become the "centerpiece" of his story.



"I don't want to talk about it, I don't want my son reading it," he added. "Listen, for anyone out there who has problems and their f—ing life is a mess, yeah, I get it. You know, my life has been there plenty of times, so I get it."



Hawkins and his bandmates — Dave Grohl, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, Nate Mendel, and Rami Jaffee — were set to perform Friday at the Festival Estéreo Picnic in Bogotá. However, the organizers revealed the headliners would not be appearing due to a medical emergency.



Earlier this week, the band was touring South America and had played at Lollapalooza Argentina. The band has since canceled the remainder of its South American tour.

www.yahoo.com/entertainment/taylor-hawkins-toxicology-report-shows-232210722.html


I find it interesting they already have a tox screen back.  It usually takes at least a week in the US.

It's says it's a preliminary screen from a urine test. The problem with the urine test is that most drugs will continue to show up in urine longer than they will in blood. A lot of drugs will show up in urine days or even weeks after you've taken the drug, but won't show up in blood tests after just hours. So, blood tests should give a more accurate picture of what he took right before he died.

[thejackiedaytona]

Prescription drugs can fuck you up as badly as illegal drugs. Opioids are the worst. I have a sister struggling with opioid and alcohol addiction and I worry so much about her. This is sad.

[ravenna]

I also read this elsewhere:

A report in a major Colombian newspaper also named heroin as one of the drugs allegedly found in Hawkins’ system, and said that forensic were “shocked” by the size of the rocker’s “enlarged heart.”

Colombian publication Semana reported that the size of Hawkins’ heart - at over 600 grams, around twice the weight of a typical adult male’s heart - played a part in his passing with a “cocktail of narcotics” in his system.

[notoriousmkg]

How the hell is there a toxicology report already??? Doesn't it take like 3 weeks in the US?

[czb]

they know the size of his heart? they already did the autopsy?? wow that is quick.