Miley Cyrus Cries as She Honors Friend Taylor Hawkins on Stage in Brazil

Miley Cyrus spoke about the late Taylor Hawkins on stage this weekend and dedicated the entire performance to him. Hawkins, the 50-year-old drummer of Foo Fighters, passed away last week during the band’s tour of South America. Cyrus revealed that she had just spoken to Hawkins days beforehand.

“Tonight’s show is in honor of my friend Taylor Hawkins. The most badass dude I know who would want me to shine and sing LOUD for the love of rock n roll!” Cyrus tweeted before her performance on Saturday night. She was playing at Lollapalooza in Brazil, and during the show, she dedicated her song “Angels Like You” to Hawkins. She took a moment to talk to the audience about this painful loss and about Hawkins’ infectious energy. She explained that she had spoken to Hawkins earlier in the week when her plane had made an emergency landing.

View on X

“We had to make an emergency landing, and the first person I called was Taylor because he was already at the festival and that would have been a time that I would have gotten to see my friend and I didn’t,” Cyrus said, holding back tears. “I would have done anything to hang out with him one more time.”

Cyrus posted other tributes to Hawkins on social media throughout the weekend, and it was clear that many of the performers were preoccupied with his absence. She posted a photo of the drummer on Twitter with the caption: “His energy is still around, and he was with you at that moment! ‘Death is life it’s not a curse, it reminds us of time and what it’s worth.’” In another post, she wrote: “I’ve got this with a little help from my friend TH above & all of you.”

Tonights show is in honor of my friend Taylor Hawkins. The most bad ass dude I know who would want me to shine and sing LOUD for the love of rock n roll! I’ve got this with a little help from my friend TH above & all of you. Let’s do it . 🦅🖤🤘🏻

— Miley Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) March 26, 2022

Hawkins’ cause of death has still not been confirmed. The band announced an abrupt end to its South American tour on Friday but they released a public statement saying: “Due to a very serious medical situation, Foo Fighters will not be able to perform tonight and have canceled the remainder of their South American tour. The festival is still on, we have delayed the start of Black Pumas by 20 minutes, and we will soon communicate the schedules for the rest of the night.”

According to a report by PEOPLE, Hawkins began to experience chest pains on Friday and the condition escalated quickly, so he was brought from his hotel to a hospital. A toxicology report found several substances in his system but it is not clear if they were related to his death. Fans are waiting for more updates as they mourn.