The Chilling Message Taylor Hawkins Sent Before His Death
The rock music world suffered a tragic loss on March 25 with the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins at a hotel in Bogotá, Colombia. Hawkins — who was just 50 years old — had been with the band for 25 years and played on some of their biggest hit songs. Hawkins, along with the rest of Foo Fighters, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. According to CNN, the band was scheduled to play a show in Bogotá, but it was canceled and turned into a candlelight vigil following the announcement of Hawkins' death.
"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," the band said in a statement posted to Twitter. "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."
In the days that followed, there was an outpouring of tributes from friends and fellow musicians alike. "He was a kind brilliant man and an inspirational mentor to my son Rufus and the best friend one could ever have," Queen drummer Roger Taylor, one of Hawkins' heroes, wrote on Instagram, and compared his death to "losing a younger favourite brother." Additionally, some close friends revealed the final message they received from the late Foo Fighters drummer.
Hawkins' final text to John Stamos
Just a few months before Taylor Hawkins' death, actor John Stamos had lost a good friend with the death of his "Full House" co-star Bob Saget.
According to PopCulture, Stamos shared his final message from Hawkins by posting it on Twitter. "This was Taylor Hawkins' last text to me: 'Ya We've yet to fully have a hang — Got a put that s*** together before we die.' Wise words from my friend — put that s*** together! I'm so f****** sad. Another one gone too soon."
It's a haunting message given that not long after it was sent, Hawkins died while on tour in South America. However, it was just one of the messages Hawkins sent to those close to him in the days leading up to his death that now — in retrospect — carry far more emotional weight than they did when they were first sent.
Hawkins' eerie voicemail to Perry Farrell
Hawkins and Foo Fighters were in South America playing a series of festivals. One of these festivals — which tragically turned out to be Hawkins' final performance — was Lollapalooza Argentina. According to Britannica, Lollapalooza was started by Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell. The first one was held in Chicago in 1991.
According to The U.S. Sun, Farrell shared the voicemail he received from Hawkins the night before the drummer's death. It was first picked up by Brazilian news outlet Globo 1: "Take care of each other. And I'll take care of myself. And I'll see you in São Paulo," Hawkins said in the voicemail message to Farrell. "I love, love, love you. Sleep well." Hawkins' reference to São Paulo was in regard to Foo Fighters' scheduled headlining appearance at Lollapalooza Brazil. The band canceled their performance and Miley Cyrus served as a fill-in. She dedicated her set to the late drummer (via E.T. Canada).
"I would have done anything to hang out with him one more time," the singer said through tears before dedicating her song "Angels Like You" to Hawkins. "But I know that any time that I get onstage and any time that I get to play with my band, which if anything ever f****** happened to any one of them it would f****** kill me, so I couldn't imagine how the Foo Fighters feel today," she told the Lollapalooza crowd.
The investigation into Hawkins' cause of death continues
Given the nature of Hawkins' final messages to friends, it would seem that his death was a sudden, unexpected occurrence, and with that came questions as to what led to the drummer's death. According to The Daily Mail, several days after his death, a report from investigators was released which indicated that Hawkins' heart was twice the size of those typically found in men his age. Typical male hearts weigh between 300 and 350 grams, whereas Hawkins' was found to weigh 600 grams. The report noted that Hawkins had suffered from a cardiovascular collapse.
Per Access Medicine, cardiovascular collapse is a general term. It describes insufficient blood flow for an individual to be able to maintain consciousness, caused by heart or vascular damage. It sometimes causes cardiac arrest. While investigators in Colombia continued to search for answers about what led to Hawkins' death, The New York Post reported that the other members of Foo Fighters returned to Los Angeles.