Tributes have poured in for Taylor Hawkins following his sudden death.
The 50-year-old Foo Fighters drummer was found dead in his hotel room in Bogota, Colombia, where the band had been due to play the Festival Estéreo Picnic and a number of musicians have taken to social media to pay tribute.
Queen guitarist Brian May said: “No. It cannot be. Heartbroken. Taylor, you were family to us. Our friend, our brother, our beloved child. Bless you. We will miss you so bad.”
Ozzy Osbourne tweeted: “@TaylorHawkins was truly a great person and an amazing musician. My heart, my love and my condolences go out to his wife, his children, his family, his band and his fans. See you on the other side.”
Nickelback added: “In utter disbelief at the news of Taylor Hawkins. Our deepest condolences to his family, his bandmates, his team, his friends and everyone that was ever touched by the music he created with @foofighters @Alanis and so many others. This is so incredibly sad.”
Gene Simmons said: “Shocked and saddened to hear @taylorhawkins has passed away today.! Our prayers and condolences go out to the Hawkins family, @foofighters friends and fans. Sad.”
Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello wrote: “God bless you Taylor Hawkins. I loved your spirit and your unstoppable rock power,” and Slash wrote on Instagram: “Devastated by the loss of our friend #TaylorHawkins I’ve no words to express all the feelings I have about his passing. But my heart goes out to his family. his band friends. RIP Taylor.”
The Offspring said: “Shocked and saddened to hear of the loss of one of rock’s greatest drummers. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Taylor Hawkins tonight.”
Smashing Pumpkins posted a black and white shot of Hawkins and wrote: “Taylor Hawkins. 1972-2022. Our deepest sympathies to Taylor’s family, his fans, and of course his band,” while Finneas said: “So heartbroken to hear about Taylor Hawkins’ passing, what an incredible talent, who didn’t also need to be so kind and generous and cool but was all those things too anyway. The world was so lucky to have his gifts for the time that it did, Rest In Peace.”
Foo Fighters announced Hawkins’ death with a post on Twitter saying: “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.
“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.”