Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has died aged 50.

A cause of death has not yet been released. The Foo Fighters were touring South America and were scheduled to perform at the Estéreo Picnic Festival today (March 25) in Bogota, Colombia. Multiple sources reported that Hawkins was found dead in his hotel room in Bogota.

The musician’s death was confirmed via the band’s official social media pages.

“The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely death of our beloved Taylor Hawkins,” the band said in their statement. “His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live with us all forever. Our thoughts are with his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect at this incredibly difficult time.”

Born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1972, Hawkins and his family moved to the Southern California suburb of Laguna Beach in 1976. It was there that he grew up and developed a love of music, joining his first high school group.

In June 1995, Hawkins became Alanis Morissette’s touring drummer, a position he held for two years. In this role, he met Dave Grohl, his future Foo Fighters teammate, and the two immediately shared a mutual respect.

“I had 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?” The drummer admitted to being shocked when Morrissette’s prediction came true. “I thought they had a drummer. They’re happy. I love the Foo Fighters. I like their way of being. And like any smart musician with a gig, I said [to Morrissette] that I would never leave you (laughing). And then I found out the Foo Fighter drummer quit and I thought, I found the number [for Grohl]. ‘Guy! I will be your drummer!

Hawkins joined the band’s lineup in 1997 and went on to play on eight of the Foo Fighters studio albums: There’s nothing to lose (1999), One by one (2002), In your honor (2005), Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007), waste the light (2011), Sonic Highways (2014), concrete and gold (2017) and medicine at midnight (2021).

While Hawkins’ talents behind the kit were evident, he also showcased a strong voice. The rocker has provided backing vocals on a long list of Foo Fighters tracks over the years and has served as lead vocalist for songs such as “Life of Illusion”, “Cold Day in the Sun” and “Sunday Rain”. .

Outside of Foo Fighters, Hawkins has released three albums under his title Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, and a 2014 LP with his prog-rock side project the Birds of Satan. He was also the founder and frontman of the cover band Chevy Metal, which has been touring regularly for over a decade.

In 2021 Hawkins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Foo Fighters. His most recent projects include the horror film Foo Fighters Studio 666 and a side project called NHC, which featured the drummer alongside guitarist Dave Navarro and bassist Chris Chaney.