Taylor Hawkins’ Early Toxicology Report Suggests Lethal Overdose
An early toxicology report states that Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins had 10 different psychoactive substances in his system when he died last night in Bogota, Columbia at the age of 50.
The Office of the Attorney General of Colombia released a statement that stopped short of categorizing Hawkins' death as an overdose, but said preliminary toxicology tests found 10 substances – including marijuana, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids.
Hawkins was reportedly found dead in his hotel room in Bogota, where Foo Fighters were scheduled to perform at Festival Estereo Picnic. The band confirmed his death via social media.
Earlier today, Bogata's Secretariat of Health issued a statement explaining that an ambulance responded to an emergency call stating that Hawkins was suffering chest pains.
"The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely death of our beloved Taylor Hawkins," the group said in their statement. "His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever. Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time."
Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997, after serving as the Alanis Morissette's touring drummer for two years in support of her blockbuster Jagged Little Pill album. He and Foo Fighters bandleader Dave Grohl developed a strong rapport and mutual respect.
"I'd met Dave on tour with Alanis,” Hawkins later recalled. “She said, what are you going to do when Dave asks you to join the Foo Fighters?" When Hawkins learned that Foo Fighters drummer William Goldsmith had left the band, "I found the number [for Grohl]. 'Dude! I’ll be your drummer!'"
Hawkins played drums on eight consecutive Foo Fighters albums: There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999), One by One (2002), In Your Honor (2005), Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007), Wasting Light (2011), Sonic Highways (2014), Concrete and Gold (2017) and Medicine at Midnight (2021). He also performed on Hail Satin, the band's 2021 Bee Gees tribute album.
Additionally, the rocker released three albums with the Coattail Riders, one LP with his prog-rock side project the Birds of Satan, and fronted the rock 'n' roll cover band Chevy Metal, which toured regularly for more than a decade.
Hawkins was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 as a member of Foo Fighters. He played his final show five days before his death, on March 20 at Lollapalooza Argentina. "You know the best thing about Taylor Hawkins, he's the best fucking drummer in the world," Grohl said that night. "We love him so much."