Tragedy struck one of indie rock’s stalwart bands today when Foo Fighters announced that their drummer, Taylor Hawkins, has died at age 50. This news is completely unexpected, as the band are currently on tour in South America, and were slated to perform in Bogota, Colombia tonight, with their 2022 summer spent touring North America. Foo Fighters are also slated to headline Lollapalooza Brazil on Sunday night, though it seems unlikely that show is a priority at the moment.
The story broke earlier tonight when the band shared a statement on social media about his sudden passing, asking for Hawkins’ family to be treated with “the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time.” Here’s the statement in full: “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.”
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) March 26, 2022
There’s no further information at this time about the cause of death. Prior to joining Foo Fighters, Hawkins was the the touring drummer for Alanis Morissette. He joined Foo Fighters in 1997 when their original drummer, William Goldsmith, quit the band. Rest in peace.