Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

Taylor Hawkins: drugs found in body of Foo Fighters drummer

Taylor Hawkins: drugs found in body of Foo Fighters drummer

Toxicology test indicated presence of 10 substances including marijuana, antidepressants and opioids

The Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins had at least 10 substances in his body when he died suddenly in Bogotá, according to a preliminary toxicology test carried out by Colombian authorities.

The 50-year-old musician was found dead in his hotel room on Friday afternoon, hours before the band was due to perform at Colombia’s Estéreo Picnic festival as part of its South American tour. The Grammy award-winning group had then been due to headline one of Brazil’s biggest music festivals on Sunday night.

On Saturday, Colombia’s attorney general’s office said analysis of Hawkins’ urine found traces of marijuana, opioids, tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines, which can be used to treat insomnia or anxiety.

The Colombian magazine Semana claimed Hawkins died after a sudden cardiac arrest caused by an overdose of heroin, antidepressants and benzodiazepines. The magazine said forensic medical experts had been shocked by how swollen the musician’s heart had become.

Hawkins’ death sparked an outpouring of grief in Bogotá, where the news was broken to tearful festivalgoers by the Black Pumas singer Eric Burton, who asked the audience to observe a moment of silence.

Fans gathered outside the Four Seasons hotel, where the musician died, to light candles, leave flowers and sing some of the band’s songs. There was applause as Hawkins’ body was removed from the building by police.

Some of the world’s most famous musicians paid tribute to the drummer, who decided to pick up the sticks after his mother took him to see a Queen rock concert in 1982. Hawkins played with Alanis Morissette for two years before joining the Foo Fighters in 1997.

“No. It cannot be,” the Queen guitarist Brian May wrote on Instagram. “Heartbroken. Taylor, you were family to us. Our friend, our brother, our beloved child. Bless you. We will miss you so bad.”

“So incredibly sad to hear of the passing of Taylor Hawkins,” tweeted Mick Jagger. “My thoughts are with his family and the band at this time.”

Ozzy Osbourne called Hawkins – who is survived by his wife, Alison, and three children – “a 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,” Osbourne said.

In a statement, the Foo Fighters said they were devastated “by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins. His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live with 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.”


The band’s singer, Dave Grohl, the former Nirvana drummer, has spoken frequently of his close relationship with a musician he once called “the love of my life”.

“Upon first meeting, our bond was immediate, and we grew closer with every day, every song, every note that we played together,” Grohl, who lost his friend and Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain in 1994, wrote in his 2021 memoirs. “I am not afraid to say that our chance meeting was a kind of love at first sight … Together, we have become an unstoppable duo, onstage and off, in pursuit of any and all adventure we can find.”

Top South American artists also mourned the premature death of Hawkins, who was born in Texas in 1972 and raised in California. In Brazil, where the Foo Fighters had been scheduled to headline the last night of the Lollapalooza festival on Sunday, the rapper Emicida used his performance at the same event to lament the passing of “our brother”.

“Our hearts are broken because all of us looked up to the Foo Fighters in some way,” Emicida told fans, announcing a special tribute to “one of the greatest drummers of all time” on Sunday night featuring artists including fellow rapper Criolo and the band Planet Hemp.

The singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus broke down on stage as she remembered her friend. “We lost a legend in rock music … and I just want to send my most peaceful wishes to the Foo Fighters family and the Hawkins family,” she told Lollapalooza.

There were also onstage tributes in the UK, where the former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher dedicated one of the group’s biggest hits to Hawkins. “You and I are gonna live forever, Gonna live forever,” Gallagher sang on Saturday night as the drummer’s image was projected on to a screen behind him.

“I dedicate this last song to the one and only Taylor fucking Hawkins who has sadly passed away,” Gallagher told the audience at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr said: “God bless Taylor peace and love to all his family and the band peace and love.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
×