Taylor Hawkins Remembered at the Grammys With Special Tribute

Sunday night’s 2022 Grammy Awards paid special tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. Hawkins was originally set to perform at the awards show with the Foo Fighters, though he tragically passed away just nine days earlier on March 25 in Bogota, Colombia. He was 50.

During the Sunday evening ceremony, Grammys host Trevor Noah led an emotional tribute, the hos introducing a video montage of Hawkins performing by sharing, “So, this was the moment in the show when I was supposed to be introducing the Foo Fighters.” Noting that they “would have been celebrating with them as they won … three Grammy Awards earlier today,” Noah shared, “they are of course not here due to the tragic passing of their legendary drummer, Taylor Hawkins.” Noah went on to tell the audience, “Our thoughts go out to Taylor’s family, his friends, the Foo Fighter family and all of their fans around the globe. We would like to take a moment now to remember Taylor.”

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What followed was an emotional tribute to Hawkins. Set to the song “My Hero,” one of the band’s biggest hits,” the tribute video featured clips of Hawkins performing with his bandmates. The video montage ended with a crowd at a Foo Fighters show singing the song. The tribute to Hawkins led into the larger In Memoriam segment, which paid tribute to other musicians sadly lost over the past year.

The 2022 Grammy Awards came just a little more than a week after Hawkins died shortly before Foo Fighters were to take the stage at the Festival Estereo Picnic in Bogota, Colombia. Colombian health officials said that Hawkins was allegedly suffering from chest pains before his death, and emergency medical personnel were called to his hotel room on March 25. They performed CPR, but they could not revive Hawkins, who was declared dead at the scene. A preliminary toxicology test reportedly found ten substances in the drummer’s system, including opioids, benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, and THC.

In a statement shortly after his passing, Foo Fighters said they were “devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins.” The group added that Hawkins’ “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.” Amid their loss, Foo Fighters have cancelled all upcoming tour dates, encouraging fans to “take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we’ve made together.”