Foo Fighters drummer had 'gift for explosive momentum'

NEW YORK • Taylor Hawkins, the hard-hitting, charismatic drummer for Foo Fighters, an enduring Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band that have won 12 Grammys and released seven platinum albums, has died at age 50.

A statement posted to the band's social media last Friday and sent by their representative confirmed the death.

According to the attorneygeneral's office of Colombia in South America, Hawkins had been staying in a hotel in northern Bogota, where the band were scheduled to play a show last Friday night. The office said preliminary tests showed Hawkins had several substances in his system, including opioids, marijuana and benzodia-zepines. The cause of death was still under investigation.

Recognisable for his flailing limbs, surfer's good looks and wide, childlike grin, he became a member of the band led by Dave Grohl for its third album, There Is Nothing Left To Lose, released in 1999 and played on the group's subsequent seven albums.

Hawkins drew on two distinct styles - the fundamentals of Roger Taylor from rock band Queen and the intricacy of Stewart Copeland from rock band The Police. He added the muscle of punk and metal, the precision of drum machines and a gift for explosive momentum.

He was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on Feb 17, 1972 and raised in Southern California. He started to play drums at the age of 10.

After playing in a California band called Sylvia and backing Canadian rock vocalist Sass Jordan, his first mainstream break came in 1995 when he joined Alanis Morissette's band as she toured behind her blockbuster album Jagged Little Pill.

Grohl, then still primarily known for his role as the drummer for Nirvana, recalled meeting Haw-kins backstage at a radio station concert in the 1990s and feeling an immediate kinship.

"I was like, 'wow, you're either my twin or my spirit animal or my best friend'," Grohl said in an interview last year. "When it was time to look for a drummer, I kind of wished that he would do it, but I didn't imagine he would leave Alanis Morissette because at the time, she was the biggest artiste in the world."

But when Grohl rang him later looking for a drummer, he recalled Hawkins saying: "I'm your guy."

"I think it had more to do with our personal relationship than anything musical," Grohl said. "To be honest, it still does. Our musical relationship - the foundation of that is our friendship and that's why when we jump up on stage and play, we're so connected because we're like best friends."

Foo Fighters were scheduled to perform at this year's Grammys, to be held on Sunday.

Their latest album, Medicine At Midnight, is nominated for three awards, including best rock performance, best rock song and best rock album.

Hawkins is survived by his wife Alison, whom he married in 2005, and their three children, Oliver, Annabelle and Everleigh.

NYTIMES