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RIP Taylor Hawkins: Foo Fighters drummer died one year ago

By Josh Johnson Mar 24, 2023 | 5:00 AM
Rich Fury/Getty Images

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died one year ago this Saturday.

On March 25, 2022, Dave Grohl and company were set to headline a festival in Bogotá, Colombia. That night, the Foos tweeted, “The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins.” He was 50 years old.

Hawkins was born February 17, 1972. After playing drums in Alanis Morissette‘s live band in the mid-’90s, Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997 and remained with the group until his death. Hawkins was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with the rest of the Foos in 2021.

Following Hawkins’ passing, Foo Fighters canceled all their tour dates and live appearances, including a scheduled performance at the Grammys the following weekend.

Eventually, the Foos returned to the live stage in September 2022 with two giant tribute concerts to Hawkins, taking place in London and Los Angeles. The marathon events, which both lasted around six hours, featured guest performances by artists including Paul McCartney, Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich, AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson, Joan Jett and Miley Cyrus, as well as members of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Def Leppard, Blink-182 and Black Sabbath.

Both concerts ended with Foo Fighters performing alongside guest drummers, including Hawkins’ teenage son Shane, who memorably manned the kit for the song “My Hero.”

On New Year’s Eve, Foo Fighters announced they intended to continue as a band without Hawkins. A new drummer has yet to be announced. The group’s first show back is scheduled for May 24 in New Hampshire, and they’ll play a number of festivals, including Bonnaroo, Boston Calling, Sonic Temple and Outside Lands.

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