Taylor Hawkins: life and legacy

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Steve Jennings

Tal Barone honors the legacy of Taylor Hawkins.

Tal Barone, The Carroll News

The musician, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Taylor Hawkins, best known as the drummer of alternative rock band Foo Fighters, died suddenly on March 25 while the band was on tour. Hawkins had recently turned 50 on Feb. 17 and his album with supergroup NHC is scheduled to release this year.

Hawkins had been suffering from chest pain and was visited by emergency services in his hotel, but after CPR he was declared dead at the scene. The cause of death was not immediately provided, but authorities in Colombia (where the band had been staying) later announced that a toxicology report indicated 10 substances had been present in Hawkins’ body at the time of his death, including opioids, antidepressants and THC. 

As a result of Hawkins’s unexpected passing, Foo Fighters canceled all of their upcoming tour dates. The festival stage they were to perform on the night of his death was turned into a candlelight vigil. Just last year, Foo Fighters’ frontman, Dave Grohl, described his bandmate in his memoir “The Storyteller” as “my brother from another mother, my best friend, a man for whom I would take a bullet.” 

Hawkins alongside his bandmate and friend, Dave Grohl. (2014 Getty Images)

Any concern in 1997 about Dave Grohl relinquishing his drumming duties in Foo Fighters was quickly vanquished by the percussion powerhouse that was Taylor Hawkins. He proved to possess equal prowess and drummed on eight studio albums with the band. 

Taylor Hawkins was once voted “Best Rock Drummer” in 2005 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his bandmates last year. Countless musicians, including Mick Jagger, Stevie Nicks, Chris Martin, Ringo Starr, Miley Cyrus and Elton John have paid tribute to the beloved drummer following the untimely tragic news. Hawkins is said to have been committed to keeping the musical community connected, always inviting musicians to collaborate. Many testaments to his kindness, passion, drive, vibrance, magnetism and talent have been made. He leaves behind a wife and three children, for whom he was said to be an excellent husband and father.

Rest In Peace, Taylor Hawkins. He will be mourned and missed forever, but he will live on in his music and in the memories of fellow musicians, admirers and fans—myself included.