"A great person and an amazing musician": The rock world reacts to the death of Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins

Ozzy Osbourne, Mick Jagger, Ringo Starr, Liam Gallagher, Brian May and Axl Rose are among the musicians who have paid tribute to Foo Fighters' drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died suddenly, aged 50, yesterday (March 25). 

According to local media reports, Hawkins passed away in his hotel room in Bogota, Colombia, ahead of the Foo Fighters' scheduled show at the Estéreo Picnic festival.

In a statement released on social media, Hawkins' 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. 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."

"Taylor Hawkins was truly a great person and an amazing musician," Ozzy Osbourne posted on social media. "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 - Ozzy."

Liam Gallagher posted on Twitter: "Absolutely devastated to hear the sad news about Taylor Hawkins my thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends RIP brother LG x"

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

"Shocked n’ saddened to hear of the passing of Taylor Hawkins," Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose posted on Twitter. "He was a really great guy, drummer n’ family man. Was always great to see him!Was looking forward to seeing him n’ everyone in Daytona. Truly saddened. My deepest condolences to his family, the Foo Fighters n’ their fans."

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger posted "So incredibly sad to hear of the passing of Taylor Hawkins. My thoughts are with his family and the band at this time."

Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello wrote: "God bless you Taylor Hawkins. I loved your spirit and your unstoppable rock power. Rest In Peace my friend."

Ex-Beatle Ringo Starr wrote, "God bless Taylor peace and love to all his family and the band peace and love."

Alice Cooper released a statement which read, "I got to know Taylor Hawkins thru both the Foo Fighters and his band Chevy Metal and was blessed to share the same stage with him a handful of times. Taylor drove both bands like a semi truck. There’s no one else like him. He was one of the great characters in rock'n'roll, beloved by all who knew him, and certainly one of the greatest drummers of his time. My band and I are devastated by this news and we will truly miss him.  Much love from us to the Hawkins family and to the Foos and Chevy family."

"Shocked and saddened to hear Taylor Hawkins has passed away today!" Kiss bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons posted. "Our prayers and condolences go out to the Hawkins family, ⁦⁩ friends and fans. Sad."

Bandmate Paul Stanley posted: "Speechless and Gutted. Taylor was a great guy, a dad and a husband. My heart goes out to them, Dave and the band. What awful news."

In a band statement, Smashing Pumpkins wrote, "Taylor Hawkins 1972-2022. Our deepest sympathies to Taylor’s family, his fans, and of course his band."

"In utter disbelief at the news of Taylor Hawkins," the members of Nickelback posted. "Our deepest condolences to his family, his bandmates, his team, his friends and everyone that was ever touched by the music he created with and so many others. This is so incredibly sad."

The Offspring, Mark Tremonti and Bily Idol are among others artists who have paid tribute to the drummer on social media.

Performing in Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, Coldplay dedicated the song Everglow to Hawkins, with frontman Chris Martin describing the drummer as "a beautiful, beautiful man."