Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers pay tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins

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Taylor Hawkins may be gone, but he is definitely not forgotten. In the wake of the Foo Fighters drummer's unexpected death earlier this year, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam paid tribute at their recent concerts.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers took over Foo Fighters' headlining slot at the New Orleans Jazz Festival this past Sunday after the Foos canceled all their tour dates following Hawkins' death. But several members of the band — including frontman Dave Grohl, Hawkins' widow Alison, and others — were still in town for the event and looked on from the audience as Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith led the crowd in saluting his close friend.

"We love the Foo Fighters and we love our brother Taylor Hawkins," Smith said. "It's meant a lot to us to be able to play for them."

Smith then incited the audience to chant "we love Taylor!"

Taylor Hawkins
Taylor Hawkins

Scott Dudelson/Getty Images Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died in March at age 50.

Throughout the set, Smith had "Taylor" spelled out on his bass drum alongside a hawk silhouette similar to the one Hawkins had tattooed on his arm.

Then, on Tuesday, Pearl Jam kicked off their Gigaton tour in San Diego. Their drummer, Matt Cameron, was also close friends with Hawkins, and frontman Eddie Vedder acknowledged that during the performance.

"[Hawkins] emitted something very incredible and very special," Vedder said to the audience, before turning to Cameron. "We're all missing him, and so, Matt, I'm sorry again for your loss. But it just gives us another chance to say how much we appreciate you as well."

Hawkins died March 25 in Bogota, Colombia, where the Foo Fighters were set to perform at the city's Estéreo Picnic music festival. No cause of death has officially been revealed, though a preliminary toxicology report from the Colombia attorney general's office found 10 different substances in his system.

Since then, many musicians have publicly celebrated Hawkins' legacy. Billie Eilish even performed at the Grammys wearing a shirt with his face on it.

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