Taylor Hawkins Was Upset and Exhausted By Foo Fighters’ Touring Schedule: He ‘Couldn’t Do It Anymore’ Drummer’s Friend Says

On March 26 this year, Foo Fighters have shared an official statement, revealing that the band’s longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins has passed away. A few days later, the band canceled all of their upcoming live shows. Hawkins, aged 50, was found dead in his hotel room in Bogotá, Colombia on March 25. According to a report made by Colombian authorities, he had a combination of antidepressants and opioids in his system.

At this point, there’s nothing but speculation on Hawkins’ passing. Countless musicians, both inside and outside of rock music, paid tribute to the drummer after his passing.

A new report shared by Rolling Stone gives us a closer look into Taylor Hawkins’ difficulties leading up to his final days. Rolling Stone got in touch with some of the musician’s close friends and acquaintances who revealed that he was struggling to keep up with Foo Fighters’ intense touring schedule.

Drummer Matt Cameron, who worked with Hawkins for the Nighttime Boogie Association project, said:

“He had a heart-to-heart with Dave and, yeah, he told me that he ‘couldn’t fucking do it anymore’ — those were his words. So I guess they did come to some understanding, but it just seems like the touring schedule got even crazier after that.”

The anonymous friend also stated that Hawkins was pressured into doing more shows, saying:

“He said, ‘I‘m just gonna do a couple.’“

The friend also adds that Hawkins was upset when the band added a one-off Australian show in March, but “was given assurances the band would have a lighter schedule going forward.”

There seems to be some conflicting information as Foo Fighters representative Silva Artist Management denied that there was any “heart-to-heart” conversation between Grohl and Hawkins on the matter. However, Hawkins’ friend who remains anonymous confirmed that there was a talk between the two Foo Fighters members, explaining:

“The fact that he finally spoke to Dave and really told him that he couldn’t do this and that he wouldn’t do it anymore, that was freeing for him. That took fucking balls. That did take a year of working up the guts to do.”

The report further states that a representative for Foo Fighters further denied this by saying:

“He never ‘informed Dave and [management]’ of anything at all like that.”

The representative further added that Taylor Hawkins never said anything of the said Australian show, nor that he complained about the touring schedule. They also added:

“The touring schedule had been established and in place for well over a year.”

Elsewhere in the report, there’s another quote by Cameron which confirms that Hawkins was indeed having troubles, saying:

“He tried to keep up. He just did whatever it took to keep up, and in the end he couldn‘t keep up.“

The Rolling Stone report also reveals that the Foo Fighters’ representative denied another reported incident when Hawkins reportedly lost consciousness on a flight due to exhaustion and dehydration. You can read the full thing here.

Photo: Raph_PH (FoosLollBerlin190917-21)