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

Posted by Reinaldo Massengill on Tuesday, August 20, 2024

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.

“@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.”

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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. See you on the other side – Ozzy

— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) March 26, 2022

“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.

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God bless you Taylor Hawkins. I loved your spirit and your unstoppable rock power. Rest In Peace my friend. pic.twitter.com/AkiRLF2L3e

— Tom Morello (@tmorello) March 26, 2022

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.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbleUbYIw_T/?utm_medium=copy_link

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.”

Taylor Hawkins 1972-2022.
Our deepest sympathies to Taylor’s family, his fans, and of course his band. pic.twitter.com/qlEaQK0uui

— The Smashing Pumpkins (@SmashingPumpkin) March 26, 2022

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.”

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 ever touched by the music he created with @foofighters @Alanis and so many others. This is so incredibly sad. pic.twitter.com/2AUeqpaN94

— Nickelback (@Nickelback) March 26, 2022

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

Today I lost a friend I loved. pic.twitter.com/Rcz2VMYFvQ

— Matt Pinfield (@mattpinfield) March 26, 2022

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.”

So heartbroken to hear about Taylor Hawkins’ passing, 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, Rest In Peace

— FINNEAS (@finneas) March 26, 2022

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!”

https://twitter.com/Nandi_Bushell/status/1507618031538786307?s=20&t=R9Ta_kgosgSt9FjV5HJ-Pw

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

I’m so sad about this man.
coolest dude ever.
god bless & comfort his family, his bandmates, his friends & all his loved ones.

Taylor Hawkins.
Rest In Beats.#TaylorHawkins https://t.co/bOBv0l4K9r

— ?st (@questlove) March 26, 2022

pic.twitter.com/umgtKhT7LH

— Wolf Van Halen (@WolfVanHalen) March 26, 2022

Devastated by the loss of our friend #TaylorHawkins I've no words to express all the feelings I have about his passing. But my heart goes out to his family. & his band & friends. RIP Taylor ❤️ https://t.co/pkQLK5rLVF

— Slash (@Slash) March 26, 2022

Gutted. Completely gutted. We just recorded something together a month ago. Can’t even process this right now. Let’s hold Taylor’s wife and children close to our hearts.

— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) March 26, 2022

Thank you Taylor Hawkins, you’re responsible for memories I’ll never forget! Sending condolences to his family, friends and band mates. pic.twitter.com/WlGGKh0bbc

— Ted Stryker (@TedStryker) March 26, 2022

Thank you Taylor..

Thank you for always having the biggest warmest smile on your face and for lighting up every room with your infectious energy and good vibes.

(1/3) pic.twitter.com/G4SGcvHAqi

— Lars Ulrich (@larsulrich) March 26, 2022

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A post shared by Guy Oseary (@guyoseary)

These demons, they never rest!! trust me, I know!@taylorhawkins
Rest easy now brother..🙏🏽

Our heart goes out to his family, our whole band is in shock.. tragic news. Very sad 😞 https://t.co/Ra0gUAoAO3

— James'Munky'Shaffer (@JC_SHAFFER) March 26, 2022

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A post shared by Flea (@flea333)

So incredibly sad to hear of the passing of Taylor Hawkins. My thoughts are with his family and the band at this time. pic.twitter.com/wueydCu5gw

— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) March 26, 2022

Shocked n’ saddened to hear of the passing of Taylor Hawkins.He was a really great guy, drummer n’ family man. Was always great to see him!Was looking forward to seeing him n’ everyone in Daytona.Truly saddened. My deepest condolences to his family, the Foo Fighters n’their fans.

— Axl Rose (@axlrose) March 26, 2022

“Long live Taylor Hawkins. He enriched my life as a dear friend & fellow musician. He brought so much joy to the world of music, he will be forever missed. Our deepest condolences to Alison, Shane, Annabelle & Everleigh Hawkins & the entire Foo Fighters family.”
📸: Ross Halfin pic.twitter.com/ZsnqmjmPaW

— Pearl Jam (@PearlJam) March 26, 2022

Hearts broken all over the world. Taylor Hawkins was a kind soul & a monster musician. Drummer for the Foos, Alanis Morrisette & Sass Jordon (who I managed for a time). Taylor and his band were to play our Kiss Kruize in Oct…Prayers and condolences to the Hawkins family. 😞 pic.twitter.com/qBTPJOpLIB

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) March 26, 2022

RIP Taylor Hawkins, one of Derek Smalls' favorite drummers.

— Harry Shearer (@theharryshearer) March 26, 2022

We are terribly sorry to learn of the loss of our friend and musical brother Taylor Hawkins. So sorry to his family, Dave and the Foo family, and to the legions of his fans. Like everyone who knew him, we loved him. Rock Music wont be the same without him. pic.twitter.com/MXE5yGmy2O

— weezer (@Weezer) March 26, 2022

Still processing the terrible news about Taylor Hawkins. Such a wonderful and crazily talented man. Thinking now about his family, his band, and his good friend Dave.

— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) March 26, 2022

I woke up this morning to hear the awful news of Taylor Hawkins death. What a terrible loss to us all. He was such a lovely guy and such a brilliant player. ⁰My deepest condolences go out to his family, his band and his fans. He will be sadly missed  Rest In Peace Taylor. -Tony pic.twitter.com/MSYRMzDy8c

— Tony Iommi (@tonyiommi) March 26, 2022

I’m greatly saddened today after hearing the news about TAYLOR HAWKINS. He was one of those absoloutly rare people ya just couldn’t help feeling good around him. You see he loved his family and life thru and thru… And he was a ripping drummer… TAYLOR you will be missed!! pic.twitter.com/GYVPlAyEc4

— Joe Perry (@JoePerry) March 26, 2022

I’m heartbroken to hear about Taylor Hawkins. He was such a nice young man. Love & Mercy to Taylor’s family and friends. pic.twitter.com/VyqZIP94UZ

— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) March 26, 2022

Such sad news about Taylor Hawkins. Anyone who knew him will tell you how great he was to be around. Everybody’s friend. So positive and enthusiastic. He loved music and he loved life. @foofighters

— Johnny Marr (@Johnny_Marr) March 26, 2022


https://twitter.com/DanReynolds/status/1507736780694437889?s=20&t=WvOCAej0JJAu044ydK3XFA

So devastated by the news of Taylor Hawkins passing. He was truly truly one of a kind. Such a generous, joyful, positive, impish, badass, infectiously hilarious, kind spirit. And one of the greatest rock drummers of all time. This f**king sucks.

— Mark Ronson (@MarkRonson) March 26, 2022

💔 #TaylorHawkins pic.twitter.com/WHhzUvTRae

— Jane Wiedlin (@janewiedlin) March 26, 2022

GUTTED to hear of our friend and neighbor, Taylor Hawkins departure. In disbelief, like everyone else. He was one of my favorite people, always full of love… he will be deeply missed. Our hearts go out to his family, to the Foo’s… #RIPTaylorHawkins #FooFighters

— leann rimes cibrian (@leannrimes) March 26, 2022

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