Dave Grohl has buried two of his great friends; both died under tragic circumstances. Foo Fighters was his letter of salvation because after the suicide of Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana, the band he was the drummer in, he considered retiring from music.
The tragedy mourns again and when the foo fighter celebrating their successful tenth studio album titled Medicine at Midnight; Alongside reuniting with his fans on a concert tour that would see stadiums and music festivals explode after two years of pandemic, and even his foray into acting in cinemas with the premiere of a horror comedy, Terror in Study 666, a tale of creative artist block, nuanced with a lot of gore and black humor.
On Friday evening, March 25, Taylor Hawkins, the group’s drummer, was found dead in his room at the Hotel Casa Medina in Bogotá. Authorities reported that the musician had experienced severe chest pains, but by the time medical services arrived and tried to revive him, it was too late.
(Also: The Tragedy of Dave Grohl: He lost Kurt Cobain and now Taylor Hawkins)
Taylor was 50 years old. He joined the Foo Fighters in 1997 after being the drummer for Alanis Morissette. From the start, Dave and Taylor were very close: they were both drummers and singers, and they shared a special “heavy” sense of humor.
Film “Studio 666 Horror” with the Foo Fighters.
In addition to Foo Fighters, Oliver Taylor Hawkins (Texas, 1972) starred in his own musical project, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, for almost two decades, in which he appeared as a vocalist. He toured with the group Coheed and Cambria and also formed Chevy Metal and Birds of Satan to chill out a bit with hard rock and a touch of progressive rock. I was very fortunate to be part of the NHC group along with Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney from Jane’s Addiction. Regarded as one of the most brilliant drummers of his generation, an instrument he loved thanks to legends who inspired him such as Queen’s Phil Collins and Roger Taylor.
“I’ve always tried to do things outside of Foo Fighters (…) Dave is like that (in terms of Grohl’s projects). As I get older I get interested in projects like this and sometimes I think I should have done a lot more than I did in my 20s.‘ he told American Songwriter magazine.
“We live and die by the great sword of rock ‘n’ roll. You get something real: you get blood, you get courage, you get human exchange and we actually feed on the audience and the emotions,” was one of the strongest lines in an interview with Kerrang magazine, with which Hawkins summarized what it was for it meant playing live and giving it your all on stage.
Foo Fighters returned to Colombia After a lively concert in October 2019 in Bogotá and another in January 2015 that left a memorable image: the almost 45,000 visitors at El Campín Stadium chanting his name and holding yellow, blue and red bombs, only the group came out on stage.
And it is that the association of performers of great successes like Everlong, Learn to Fly, The Pretender, Walk and Best of You and winners of a dozen Grammy awards with Colombia is enormous. It was Taylor of all people who wore a jersey of the Colombian national team – with his name on the back – at a presentation in Fresno (California) in 2019. Back then he paid tribute to Freddie Mercury.
“We live and die by the great sword of rock ‘n’ roll. You get something real: you get blood, you get courage, you get human exchange.”
Hawkins was married to Alison Hawkins and had three children: Oliver Shane, Annabelle and Everleigh Hawkins. He did not use a cell phone and was characterized by being simple and loving. The most recent demonstration of this was in Asunción (Paraguay) last week, where the musician emerged from his room to see Emma, a 9-year-old girl playing the drums with impressive talent and energy, at the hotel door.
One of the dark episodes in the late drummer’s life — which many have linked to his death — was the heroin overdose he suffered in 2001 while in a coma for two weeks. He said that “it was an accident”. “It was over-the-top partying because I’m not an addict,” he said in an interview with Beats 1 magazine.
The entertainment world mourns. Well-known musicians mourned the loss of Taylor: Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), ex-Beatle Ringo Starr, Paul Stanley (Kiss), Alice Cooper, Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Ozzy Osbourne, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and guns and roses You have responded to the message. “Bless you, Taylor Hawkins. I loved your spirit and your unstoppable rock power. Rest in peace my friend,” the tweet read. Coldplay learned the sad news during their presentation in Monterrey, Mexico, and dedicated a few words and an emotional version of Everlong to her.
Foo Fighters announced they are canceling the remainder of their Latin America tour. Through their social networks, they expressed deep pain at the death of their member. “The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins,” the band said in a statement on Twitter. “His musical spirit and his infectious laugh will always accompany us all.” The Estéreo Pícnic Festival also mourned the artist. “We are heartbroken, these have been extremely difficult times and we will always be at a loss for words to describe such a sudden goodbye at one of the happiest moments of 2022.”
When Dave Grohl first saw Taylor Hawkins 26 years ago, all he could do was tell her: “Wow, you are my twin or my spirit animal or my best friend!” It had only been a few minutes since I met him and I knew that he was an extraordinary musician. “Then I called him and said, ‘Hey, I’m looking for a drummer,’ he immediately said, ‘You know, I’m your type.'” The anecdote shared by the Foo Fighters founder in a radio interview still hurts today in the soul. Dave must once again suffer the death of a good friend, a great musician and an unforgettable human being.
CULTURE
With information from AFP
@KulturET
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