Death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins being investigated

The death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins is being investigated by Colombian authorities.

Hawkins, 50, had been with the rest of the band in the country’s capital, Bogota, when he died in a hotel room.

The group had been on a tour that was heading to the UK this summer, with shows scheduled in London, Birmingham, and Manchester.

When Hawkins’s death was announced by the band on social media, no cause of death was given, but the city’s health department said an ambulance had been called to the hotel for a man experiencing chest pains.

A source at the attorney general’s office, who was not authorised to speak to the press, told Reuters news agency: “We have begun an investigation to establish the cause of death of the musician, but for now we don’t have any available information to share.

“As the investigation advances, we will.”

The US embassy in Bogota said it could not comment on Hawkins’s death because of privacy issues.

Meanwhile, the group – which had been due to perform at the Estereo Picnic festival near Bogota on the night of the death – has cancelled the rest of its South American tour.

On Twitter, the band said: “The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins.

“His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever.”

Tributes from other musicians

Other tributes came from stars such as Ozzy Osbourne, Nickelback, Kiss’s Gene Simmons, The Smashing Pumpkins, and former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.

Stevie Nicks, Pearl Jam, Lenny Kravitz, Joan Jett, and even US First Lady Jill Biden were also among those who mourned the drummer’s death.

Nicks said he had “a huge heart and a glorious smile”.

Hawkins told the Sydney Morning Herald last year that he was inspired to get into music when his mother took him to see Queen in 1982, telling her: “I’ll play that stadium one day.”

Speaking to rock publication Kerrang, he added: “After that concert, I don’t think I slept for three days.

“It changed everything and I was never the same because of it. It was the beginning of my obsession with rock’n’roll.”

Foo Fighters – Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, Rami Jaffee, and Dave Grohl – have won 12 Grammys and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame last year.

Hawkins was born in Forth Worth, Texas, and is survived by his wife Alison and their three children.