In memory of Taylor Hawkins: the heartfelt tribute to the drummer of Foo Fighters at the 2022 Grammys

During this Sunday, the 64th Grammy Awards ceremony was held, and as usual, a space was reserved to make an In memoriam for artists who physically left this world, but who will be remembered in eternity for their music. As expected, Taylor Hawkins was one of the honorees.

To the rhythm of There Goes My Hero, the drummer who passed away in Bogotá on March 25, 2022, a few hours after performing at the Stereo Picnic Festival, he was remembered in the midst of much emotion and applause that he lived not only at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, but on social networks, where artists and fans of the drummer and the American band evoked their legacy.

The long night when the world learned of the tragedy:

It fell on the night of last Friday, March 25, when the first announcements of a long and sad night came to the press room of the Estéreo Picnic: the Foo Fighters concert is canceled. Not knowing exactly what was happening, a second piece of news came like a bucket of cold water: the concert is canceled because Taylor Hawkins passed away. It didn't take long before the news began to circulate to the public when Festival officials, with their broken voice, took the stage to confirm the tragic events.

Yes, at age 50, Hawkins had passed away. As unexpected as it was painful, the followers who longed to see him once again hugged and cried when they realized they had lost one of their own. He never knew them, nor did he know their names, but he accompanied them for years, far away, with his unmistakable way of playing drums. The man with the pretty smile and the long blond hair was gone. I wasn't going to be there anymore. It was all unreal. The space that would be full of people, tight, trying to see them up close, was empty; and the stage where the band would be singing was full of white candles.

'Oe, oe, oe, oe, Taylor, Taylor', their Argentine fans shouted at the last concert of the 'best drummer in the world', as his great friend, and singer of Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl, used to say. In orange pants with black stripes, in the best style of a tiger, Hawkins sang Queen's 'Somebody to Love'. “I love Dave Grohl,” he said before he started.

He was born on February 7, 1972, in Texas, in the United States, but, when he was five years old, he began living with his family in Laguna Beach, in California. As he said, he wasn't good at anything, school wasn't his thing. Everything changed when he was 10 years old and he found himself for the first time, head-on, with a battery. It was his neighbor's. He sat down, learned a few things under the direction of his neighbor, played a couple of rhythms, and listened to the phrase that changed his perspective on himself: 'you are a drummer. '

He trained at the Conservatory in Laguna Beach, California. In addition to drums, he learned piano and guitar. Not to mention his ability to sing or, as Grohl likes to say, 'this bastard really knows how to sing'. From a young age he started playing for different projects and pursuing a career in music, even though he didn't have a single weight to buy a drum kit. It was in 1997 when he joined the Foo Fighters, after being with weighty projects like that of Alanis Morissette. The band, led by Grohl, was born after the death of Kurt Cobain, vocalist of the defunct band Nirvana.

“She (Alanis Morissette) had a more rock band style. I think the producer wasn't very comfortable with me, because he thought he was going to be a very loyal guy to the album and we released the album out the window and that's what she wanted. There I met Dave (...) I was surprised by his energy. I loved his voice, he was like Steve Miller on steroids in a punk-rock club. There was a freshness in the way he sang, but he also shouted very well. I don't know where to start, but I fell in love with that album,” Taylor said in an interview with BBC Radio.

Since then, for more than two decades, Hawkins became one of the band's main pieces. “The bands are as good as their drummers or as bad as he is. Dave has never been an idiot, but this is certainly intimidating. When I joined the band I was super intimidated. When I met Axl Rose he said to me: 'How does it feel to be the best drummer for the best drummer of the nineties? ' Well, it's hard,” said the late artist in an interview with Howard Stern. It is worth remembering that Grohl was the drummer of Nirvana.

Taylor's health was already a strong blow, one that brought him close to death. Around 2001, the drummer suffered from an overdose that left him in a coma. He was in London when he was poisoned by excess heroin in his body. He was 29 years old and spent two weeks in that state of unconsciousness. From that difficult moment the song 'On the Mend' was born.

“I was partying in London one night, and by mistake I did something and it changed everything. I believed the myth of the damn life of living hard and fast, dying young. I'm not here to preach about not using drugs, because I loved doing it, but I lost control for a while and it almost got me (...) I'm glad he hit me in the head at that time. Nor would I take anything away from what I've done or what I've been through, because it's all part of the journey and the journey. I'm trying to be as honest as I can be,” he said in an interview.

A little more than 20 years later, history repeated itself, but its outcome was not the same. Yeah, he had a new overdose, but no, he didn't survive. He was found lifeless inside Casa Medina, a luxury hotel belonging to the Four Seasons chain, in Bogotá. According to what became known, just before performing in the Colombian capital, the drummer stated that he had a discomfort in his chest. When the health specialists arrived, the drummer had already lost his life.

“The health professional who attended the emergency indicated that she performed the respective resuscitation maneuvers. However, there was no response and the patient declared himself dead,” a press release issued by the local mayor's office read. In the urine toxicology test carried out on Taylor Hawkins' body, a report by the Prosecutor's Office details, ten types of substances were preliminarily found, including: THC (marijuana), tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids.

“Dave Grohl and his band returned to Los Angeles from Bogotá after the sudden death of their drummer and dear friend, Taylor Hawkins. Dave, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, Rami Jaffee, Samantha Sidley and the team were visibly excited after they landed,” revealed the entertainment page TMZ.

“In the urine toxicology test performed on Taylor Hawkins' body, ten types of substances were preliminarily found, including: THC (marijuana), tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids,” the research body specified. Hawkins' heart, moreover, acquired an irregular volume and a weight of 600 grams was recorded, much higher than the weight of that organ in an average adult, which is 250 grams. According to forensic doctors, consulted by Semana magazine, his heart collapsed because of the mixture of substances found in his blood.

“We will take time to mourn, heal, get close to our loved ones and appreciate all the music and memories we have together,” the group commented on their return home, without Hawkins.

Today, April 3, just over a week after Taylor's death, the Grammys will be held, one of the most important awards in the music industry. Although the details are unknown, it became known that there will be a space to honor Hawkins at the ceremony.

“We will honor his memory in some way. We want to find out what is right that is respectful to everyone involved. We're patient. We'll be planning until the end,” Jack Sussman, executive vice president of live events for CBS, told Variety magazine. Foo Fighters is nominated for Best Rock Performance for 'Making A Fire', for Best Rock Song for 'Waiting On A War' and for Best Rock Album for 'Medicine At Midnight'.

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