The Tragic Death of Taylor Hawkins

Foo Fighter drummer dead at 50. Is drug overdose the cause?

I was shocked and saddened by the death of Foo Fighter drummer Taylor Hawkins, 50, who found dead in his hotel room while the band was touring in Bogata, Columbia.

Cause of death

No cause of death has been determined, music journalist Alejandro Martin ask for restraint. He and posted the follwing on his Twitter feed: “Now don’t start blaming the country because Taylor died in Colombia if (he) died of an overdose, don’t be so stupid.”

Martin’s quote brings drugs suspicions, but there is also Hawkins’ 2001 heroin overdose. Hawkins was in a coma for two weeks.

Hawkins told Beats 1 host Matt Wilkinson, “I was partying a lot. I wasn’t a junkie per se, but I was partying. There was a year where the partying just got a little too heavy.

“Thank God on some level this guy gave me the wrong line with the wrong thing one night and I woke up going, ‘What the f**k happened?’ That was a real changing point for me.”

Did Hawkins have another wrong line? Did he return to overdoing his partying ways?

Started with Alanis Morisette

Born in Texas, Hawkins and his family moved to Laguna Beach in 1976. He became a drummer for Alanis Morisette’s band in 1995. While on tour, he met Dave Grohl, and the two hit it off.

Morisette had suspicions Grohl would want Hawkins to join Foo Fighters.

““ ‘She said, what are you going to do when Dave asks you to join the Foo Fighters?’

Hawkins hadn’t even envisioned that scenario.

‘Dude, I’ll be your drummer’

“I thought, they had a drummer,” Hawkins said. “They’re happy. I love the Foo Fighters. I love the way they are. And like any smart musician with a gig, I said ‘(to Morissete) that I would never leave you.’

“Then I found out the Foo Fighter drummer quit and I was like, I found the number (for Grohl). ‘Dude! I’ll be your drummer!’ ”

Hawkins became a member of Foo Fighters in 1997, and has played on eight studio albums.

Taylor not only plays the drums, but also has a talented voice, doing back-up on several tracks. He’s been the lead singer on “Sunday in the Rain,” “Life of Illusion” and “Cold Day in the Sun.”

The Foo Fighters were inducted into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

Seeing Hawkins in concert

The Foo Fighters is my favorite band. I own all their CDs. I was fortunate to see the band at the Forum. My fondest memory was when Grohl returned to the stage and asked the audience how many more songs they wanted to hear. Hawkins would interrupt, bang his drum, shake his head and put up additional fingers to represent more songs.

This continued until Hawkins held up seven fingers. It was one hell of a concert. And my lasting memory of the late great Taylor Hawkins.

Key Message: Obviously, the deadly dangers of drugs. But also, life is short. No one knows when it’s their time or someone they admire. Call your parents. Give your kids a hug and tell them you love them.

Tagging a few music fans: Scot Butwell, Scott Younkin, Sreese, Ruby Lee, MarkfromBoston 🌻Ukraine, Deborah Camp, Gerald Sturgill, Klara Jane Holloway, Evon, Ning Choi, Alicia Domínguez, Victoria Valentine, Lu Skerdoo, Bernice Puzon, Jan Sebastian, Jane Kelley, Diana Meresc, Adelina Vasile, Kristin Wong, Kristine Laco.

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