Rock Royalty Mourns Foo Fighters Drummer Taylor Hawkins as Tributes Pour In on Social Media

Michele Amabile Angermiller
·9 min read
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The musical community — including rock royals Ozzy Osbourne, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Courtney Love, the band Smashing Pumpkins and Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS — is mourning the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

Shortly after news broke that Hawkins died in Bogota, Colombia hours before the band was due to take the stage, tributes started pouring in on social media. A beloved fixture in Los Angeles, where he lived, along with the greater touring world, Hawkins was remembered by contemporaries sharing memories, photos of the musician behind the kit and heartfelt words of grief.

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“@TaylorHawkins was truly a great person and an amazing musician. My heart, my love and my condolences go out to his wife, his children, his family, his band and his fans,” wrote Osbourne on Twitter. “See you on the other side.”

“God bless you Taylor Hawkins. I loved your spirit and unstoppable rock power. Rest in Peace, my friend,” wrote Morello, who shared a photo of himself with Hawkins and Perry Farrell.

KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley each offered condolences on Twitter.

“Shocked and saddened to hear @taylorhawkins has passed away today,” he wrote. “Our prayers and condolences go out to the Hawkins family, @foofighters friends and fans. Sad.”

Added Stanley, “Speechless and Gutted. Taylor was a great guy, a dad and a husband. My heart goes out to then, Dave and the band. What awful news.”

Courtney Love wrote, “What a sad day, what a tragic passing. Taylor was a sweet adorable kid, excellent drummer, never hurt a fly. My condolences to my darling Pat (Smear), and to David (Grohl) tonight. Rip Taylor. I’m so sorry Dave.”

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Smashing Pumpkins offered condolences with a simple, black and white shot of Hawkins: “Taylor Hawkins. 1972-2022. Our deepest sympathies to Taylor’s family, his fans, and of course his band.”

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Taylor Hawkins. He was a beloved member of the entire music community. We send our love and best wishes to Taylor’s family and everyone who is grieving him.” Foo Fighters are scheduled to perform on the Grammy Awards on April 3, although their immediate plans are unclear.

Nickelback posted they were “In utter disbelief at the news of Taylor Hawkins. Our deepest condolences to his family, his bandmates, his team, his friends and everyone that was every touched by the music he created with @foofighters @Alanis and so many others. This is so incredibly sad.”

KLOS on-air personality Matt Pinfield shared a picture of himself and Hawkins, simply writing, “Today, I lost a friend I loved.”

Representing the generation whom Hawkins helped influence was Billie Eilish’s brother and collaborator Finneas, who wrote, “what an incredible talent, who didn’t also need to be so kind and generous and cool but was all those things too anyway. The world was so lucky to have his gifts for the time that it did.”

Nandi Bushell, the British tween drumming phenom who joined the Foos for a performance last summer, woke up to the news in her native U.K., writing, “Thank you for looking after me, thank you for being so kind and loving, thank you for being the most awesome drummer ever, thank you for bringing so much joy to the world, thank you for being you!”

See more tributes from across the music industry and the entertainment world below:

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