BOGOTA, COLUMBIA—Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins has died at the age of 50. He died while on tour in South America with the band on Friday, March 25. Fans had gathered in Bogota, Columbia at the Festival Estéreo Picnic. News about Hawkins death was released in a statement by the band shortly before they were set to take the stage at the festival.
“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,” the band said on Twitter. “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.”
Romeo Reyes, a man who traveled from El Salvador to Bogota to attend the festival, told CNN that an announcement was made that the band was no longer performing just as the festival-goers were assembling to watch around 11 p.m.
“We were getting into position when they announced that the Foo Fighters would not be performing, but they didn’t say why,” Reyes told CNN. “About 10 minutes later, the news broke that Taylor had died,” Reyes added.
“Some cried. Others were sad, astonished, moved. It was a very powerful moment,” fan Diego Báez, 33, told The Associated Press.
A candle-light vigil was later held on-stage and five different screens projected the words “Taylor Hawkins Por Siempre,” as the song “My Hero” played.
A preliminary report by Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office was released on Saturday, March 26. It did not disclose the cause of death but did report that a urine toxicology test found 10 substances in Hawkins body, including THC, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids.
The Attorney General’s Office will continue to investigate the exact cause of death in a “timely manner.”
Hawkins was born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1972, and was raised in Laguna Beach, California. Hawkins played drums for Alanis Morissette prior to joining the Foo Fighters in 1997. He has been a member of the band for 25 years. He is survived by his wife Alison Hawkins, and their children Oliver and Annabelle.
