The body of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins was flown home to his devastated loved ones today as Colombian authorities continue to investigate the legendary rocker’s alleged overdose.
Exclusive images showed a plain black coffin containing the musician’s remains being loaded onto the band’s tour plane after it flew from LA to Bogota to pick him up.
The chartered 757 jet departed from El Dorado Airport just after 2:00 p.m. local time Tuesday and was scheduled to be back at LAX around 7:30 p.m. Pacific.
has learned that Foo Fighters’ heartbroken tour manager Gus Brandt has stayed in Colombia after Dave Grohl and the rest of the band flew home on Saturday, a day after Hawkins, 50, died in his room at the posh Four Seasons Casa Medina.
Exclusive images showed a plain black coffin containing the remains of Taylor Hawkins being loaded onto the band’s tour plane after it flew from LA to Bogota to pick him up
has learned that Foo Fighters’ heartbroken tour manager Gus Brandt has stayed in Colombia after Dave Grohl and the rest of the band flew home on Saturday, a day after Hawkins, 50, died in his room at the posh Four Seasons Casa Medina
The chartered 757 jet departed from El Dorado Airport just after 2:00 p.m. local time Tuesday and was scheduled to be back at LAX around 7:30 p.m. Pacific
The coffin containing Hawkins’ body was loaded onto the Foo Fighters’ private tour jet in Bogota, Colombia for the purpose of repatriating his remains to Los Angeles. A hearse, believed to be carrying the body of Taylor Hawkins, arrives at the airport’s cargo area just before departure
Hawkins, 50, was found dead in his room at the plush Four Seasons Casa Medina
Officials at the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science handed Hawkins’ body over to Brandt Sunday afternoon after completing a comprehensive autopsy aimed at confirming the star’s heart gave out after a huge drug binge.
A local undertaker stored the remains before they were loaded into a van and driven to a cargo terminal at the city’s international airport on Tuesday afternoon, where the private jet was waiting on the tarmac after flying in early that morning.
Brandt declined to comment over the phone, but Colombian Civil Aviation Authority sources confirmed Hawkins’ body was on board the plane when it took off at 2:09 p.m. local time.
Initial findings released over the weekend by Colombia’s attorney general’s office showed ten different drugs in the rock icon’s urine, including opioids, marijuana and benzodiazepines, a class of psychoactive drugs used to combat anxiety and insomnia.
Hawkins’ heart weighed at least 600 grams, twice that of a typical man his age, according to preliminary findings by the Colombian weekly Semana.
Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters performs at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Studio 666’ after party at the Fonda Theater on February 16, 2022 in Hollywood, California
Hawkins’ last appearance was on March 18 at Lollapalooza 2022 in Santiago, Chile (above). The Foo Fighters were scheduled to play another Lollapalooza in Brazil on Sunday
A spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office told any further update would take at least another week.
Concerns about the drummer’s health first surfaced on Friday night when he complained of chest pains ahead of a sold-out performance in Bogotá.
Hotel staff called emergency services, but Hawkins didn’t respond when security reached his room. Efforts by a private doctor and city emergency services to revive him failed.
Noted Colombian journalist Luis Carlos Velez, director of a radio station in Bogota, reported that a police officer who entered Hawkins’ $500-a-night suite told prosecutors he saw a “cocaine-like” white powder.
Another unconfirmed local report states that several glasses were found in the drummer’s room, leading to speculation that he had been entertaining guests.
Taylor Hawkins (left), daughter Annabelle Hawkins (center) and wife Alison Hawkins (right) were pictured together at the Los Angeles premiere of Studio 666 last month
An emotional Dave Grohl sobbed as he hugged his bandmates and friends at LAX on Saturday night, a day after the shocking death of his best friend
understands the investigation into Hawkins’ death was turned over to prosecutors as soon as police learned he was a “high profile” American citizen.
The investigation is expected to focus on what substances found in his body were prescription drugs he was taking before he landed in Bogota last Wednesday – and what illicit drugs he may have been using while he was in the famous ” Cocaine Capital” arrived.
“Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office can confirm the following following the first autopsy of Taylor Hawkins’ body,” the Attorney General’s Office wrote.
“That 10 types of substances were preliminary found in the Taylor Hawkins urine toxicology test, including marijuana, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids.
News: The band announced the news on their social media on Tuesday afternoon
“The National Institute of Forensic Medicine is continuing its medical studies to fully elucidate the facts that led to Taylor Hawkins’ death.
“The Colombian Attorney General’s Office will continue the investigation and, if appropriate, will disclose the results obtained as part of this investigation.”
The Foo Fighters have canceled all of their upcoming tour dates after Grohl, 53, was seen crying on the LAX tarmac as he returned Saturday night with guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett, keyboardist Rami Jaffee and backing vocalist Samantha Sidley.
“We regret and share the disappointment that we will not see each other as planned,” the band announced.
“Instead, let’s take the time to give, to heal, to draw in our loved ones, and to cherish all the music and memories we’ve made together.”
Hawkins, who was married to his illustrator Alison and father of three children, Oliver, Annabelle and Everleigh, had just completed a string of tour dates in South America, with the band playing in San Isidro, Argentina last Sunday.
The National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Bogota, where Taylor Hawkins’ autopsy was performed
Members of the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) remove the lifeless body of rock band Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins at Hotel Casa Medina in Bogota
The group was scheduled to play at the Estéreo Picnic festival in the Colombian capital, where an announcement informed concertgoers that the band would not be playing due to a “serious illness”.
Shortly thereafter, stunned fans gathered outside the Four Seasons Casa Medina in northern Bogota, where the band had been, to light candles and pay tribute.
A Health Secretariat spokesman issued a statement confirming the Foo Fighters drummer had called hotel staff for help after suffering from chest pains.
“Medical professionals who dealt with the emergency indicated that attempts to resuscitate the patient had been made, but there was no response and the patient was pronounced dead,” the statement said.
“The competent authorities have removed the body and started the investigations required in the context of this type of incident.
“We regret the passing of this talented and world-renowned drummer and send our condolences to his family, bandmates and fans.”
Hawkins is pictured with a young fan in Paraguay days before his death. He helped Emma Sofía, nine, fulfill her dream of playing drums with his band Foo Fighters
Hawkins was recruited by the Food Fighters in 1997 after Grohl saw him play drums for Alanis Morissette.
Hawkins, who is no stranger to rampant drug abuse, suffered a heroin overdose in London in 2001 that left him in a coma for about a week.
In an interview last year, he admitted: “Everyone has their own path and I went too far. I was partying in London one night and I accidentally did something and it changed everything.
“I believed in the bull***t myth, live hard and fast, die young.
“I’m not here to preach about not doing drugs because I loved doing drugs, but I just got out of control for a while and it almost got me.”