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Rolling Stone: "Foo Fighters Drummer Taylor Hawkins Died of Exhaustion!"

A new bombshell report by Rolling Stone, titled “Inside Taylor Hawkins’s Final Days as a Foo Fighter,” makes the disturbing claim that the legendary drummer was on the brink of exhaustion from playing physically taxing, nearly three-hour shows, and at the time of his death was considering scaling back his Foos duties or even quitting the band entirely. Hawkins died at age 50 on March 25, just hours before the Foo Fighters were scheduled to play Festival Estéreo in Bogotá, Colombia.

“Honestly, I think he was just so tired. Tired of the whole game,” blues singer Sass Jordan, for whom Hawkins drummed in the ‘90s, told Rolling Stone. Jordan also recalled Hawkins venting to her, “Oh, my f***ing God. I can’t look at the goddamn tour schedule. It gives me anxiety.” At that time, there were 62 dates on the Foo Fighters’ calendar for 2022, throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Australia.

Rolling Stone conducted more than 20 interviews with Hawkins’s friends and colleagues, among them Jordan, Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and the other surviving Foos declined to be interviewed for the piece; their publicist and management denied the allegations to the magazine’s four reporters, and have not yet responded to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment. While Jordan has retweeted Rolling Stone’s article in a seeming show of support, both Cameron and Smith have blasted the publication — alleging that they were misled to believe they were contributing to a celebratory Hawkins retrospective, not an exposé.

“Taylor was one of my best friends and I would do anything for his family. I was asked by Rolling Stone to talk about Taylor for a tribute article and I certainly didn’t expect it to be a piece about his last days. Had I known that, I never would have talked to the magazine, and I apologize for any pain my participation in the article may have caused his family and his musical friends. I miss him every day,” Smith exclusively told Yahoo Entertainment. Cameron posted a statement on Instagram expressing similar regret: “When I agreed to take part in the Rolling Stone article, I assumed it would be a celebration of his life and work. My quotes were taken out of context and shaped into a narrative I had never intended. … I am truly sorry to have taken part in this interview and I apologize that my participation may have cause harm to those for whom I have only the deepest respect and admiration.”

The Foo Fighters were one of the first actively touring bands to get right back onstage once COVID restrictions eased up in 2021, starting with a six-song set at SoFi Stadium’s Vax Live all-star event on May 2, followed by a full 23-song show at the 610-capacity Canyon Club in Agoura, Calif., to celebrate the “reopening” of Los Angeles County nightlife on June 15. Rolling Stone actually interviewed Hawkins at his L.A. home that June morning, at which time he confessed that he was “really nervous” about the intimate club gig. “I have major stage fright, major, major, major. Like today is like, I’m in hell right now,” he said. Hawkins also mentioned that he had sleep apnea and an enlarged heart (or “a runner’s heart”) and was “trying really hard to figure out how to continue to keep the intensity of a young man in a 50-year-old’s body, which is very difficult.” However, he assured the publication that he’d recently had “everything checked” by a doctor and was told he was in “amazing shape.”

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by Anonymousreply 79September 14, 2022 3:49 AM

By mid-2021, it was all systems go for the Foo Fighters. While other bands of their age were still easing back into post-pandemic life and had few dates on the books, the Foos reopened New York’s Madison Square Garden just five days after the Canyon Club show; headlined several festivals, including Lollapalooza; received the Global Icon Award at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards; and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021 by Paul McCartney. They also theatrically released a horror-comedy flick, Studio 666, and performed at the movie’s premiere afterparty at Hollywood’s Fonda Theatre. Overall, the band played about 40 shows in 2021, and as Hawkins looked ahead to their even more packed 2022 schedule, he “knew he didn’t have it in him" but "was trying to deliver,” according to another Hawkins colleague who spoke to Rolling Stone on the condition of anonymity.

“There’s only a handful of guys in our profession that still play this intense, high-energy ‘90s rock music,” Cameron explained to Rolling Stone. “We both had to strike that balance of ‘we never want to complain,’ but there are real, specific things about what we do that’s really f***ing challenging and really difficult. … It’s like we have to be able to sort of run a marathon every time we hit the stage, just because the music sort of calls for that type of energy.”

Cameron also told Rolling Stone that Hawkins “had a heart-to-heart with Grohl and, yeah, he told me that he ‘couldn’t f***ing do it anymore’ — those were his words.” The story’s anonymous source corroborated Cameron’s account, saying, “The fact that [Hawkins] 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 f***ing balls. That did take a year of working up the guts to do.” However, Cameron added, “I guess they did come to some understanding, but it just seems like the touring schedule got even crazier after that. … [A band like the Foo Fighters] is a big machine [with] a lot of people on the payroll. So you’ve got to really be cognizant of the business side of something when it’s that big and that has inherent pressure, just like any business. … He tried to keep up. He just did whatever it took to keep up, and in the end he couldn’t keep up.”

According to Rolling Stone quotes attributed to Smith, Hawkins lost consciousness on board a Chicago plane in December 2021. “He just said he was exhausted and collapsed, and they had to pump him full of IVs and stuff. He was dehydrated and all kinds of stuff,” Smith said. After this health scare, which was “one of the straws that broke the camel’s back,” Smith said Hawkins told him, “I can’t do it like this anymore.” Smith also revealed that in his final few months, Hawkins “was getting into lifting weights and drinking these electrolytes and was really trying to do things to help play at the level that he wanted to play at,” and recalled a time when Hawkins confessed to him, “Man, I hurt. My body hurts.”

Hawkins's final concert with the Foo Fighters was at Lollapalooza Argentina on March 20, 2022. Five days later, he was found dead in his Bogotá hotel room before the band was set to headline the Estéreo Picnic Festival. (In lieu of that performance, candles were placed onstage to honor Hawkins.) Four days later, the Foo Fighters indefinitely canceled all of their future shows "in light of the staggering loss of our brother.” Hawkins's official cause of death has still not been revealed.

by Anonymousreply 1May 18, 2022 4:13 AM

So it was speed of some sort and a heart attack. Thank you Rolling Stone, the new Kneepad Magazine.

by Anonymousreply 2May 18, 2022 4:16 AM

Are they sure he didn't die of a broken heart?

by Anonymousreply 3May 18, 2022 4:18 AM

So Dave killed him, basically

by Anonymousreply 4May 18, 2022 4:21 AM

why is the autopsy results taking so long?!

something is not adding up.

I hope the band and their fancy lawyers aren't influencing the "results" in anyway.

by Anonymousreply 5May 18, 2022 4:22 AM

Imagine working that hard, driving yourself to exhaustion, earning all that money... and then dying.

His widow is a lucky bitch.

by Anonymousreply 6May 18, 2022 4:22 AM

[quote] Rolling Stone: "A new bombshell report"

No, a tiny report telling us what we expected.

by Anonymousreply 7May 18, 2022 4:28 AM

If he had been healthier and followed a routine he would have been fine

by Anonymousreply 8May 18, 2022 4:39 AM

He had an enlarged heart, so a "routine" with such a huge workload might still have killed him. He needed to slow down.

by Anonymousreply 9May 18, 2022 4:41 AM

he has an enlarged heart and sleep apnea.

by Anonymousreply 10May 18, 2022 4:44 AM

bump

by Anonymousreply 11May 19, 2022 3:25 AM

What crap. He didn't have an enlarged heart due to exhaustion. We'd all have enlarged hearts if that were so. He was still doing drugs at his age, most likely coke, which did the trick.

[quote]He needed to slow down.

He needed to stop indulging in the pills and drugs, and most likely booze as well.

he sleep apnea on top of it all was just icing on the cake - most people don't die at age 50 simply from sleep apnea, which is actually a common condition nowadays.

by Anonymousreply 12May 19, 2022 3:04 PM

I want to see his autopsy results! I hope TMZ or some other publication is on the case!

by Anonymousreply 13May 19, 2022 3:06 PM

There was a prelim autopsy done by Colombian authorities. From the Breaking thread:

“Colombia’s National State Prosecution Service can confirm the following after the initial autopsy on the body of Taylor Hawkins.

"That in the toxicology test on Taylor Hawkins’ urine ten types of substances were preliminarily found, including marijuana, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opioids.

"The National Institute of Forensic Medicine is continuing its medical studies to be able to completely clarify the facts that led to Taylor Hawkins death.

"Colombia’s National State Prosecution Service will continue with its investigation and reveal the results obtained as part of this investigation as appropriate."

by Anonymousreply 14May 19, 2022 3:27 PM

Matt Cameron claims he was asked for a story to celebrate Taylor's life as a tribute and instead Rolling Stone took his comments out of context to shape their own narrative. Chad Smith claims the same, pretty shitty of the magazine to do. They both say they regret participating.

It sounds like Rolling Stone wants to put all the blame onto Dave, but Taylor had long time substance abuse issues and his heart couldn't keep up. I don't think it was anyone's fault.

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by Anonymousreply 15May 19, 2022 3:36 PM

well, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. The mgmt denied that Taylor was the one who went to the hospital in Chicago in Dec last year. Chad Smith said it was definitely him. How can that fact be taken out of context?

So I think they band and mgmt ain't saying shit due to insurance and legal reasons, they probably don't want the widow to sue them.

by Anonymousreply 16May 19, 2022 3:40 PM

[quote] Matt Cameron claims he was asked for a story to celebrate Taylor's life as a tribute and instead Rolling Stone took his comments out of context to shape their own narrative. Chad Smith claims the same, pretty shitty of the magazine to do. They both say they regret participating.

Wow, that really is a shitty thing to do.

by Anonymousreply 17May 19, 2022 4:51 PM

The things Smith and Cameron said don't sound like a celebration of his life. They said those things and said too much and now realize it. They probably heard from other musician friends who told them they fucked up so they’re covering their asses. There’s no shame in what they said, but it’s like they broke “the code”.

by Anonymousreply 18May 19, 2022 5:00 PM

yes I agree, they wanted the truth out there but didn't want to make an enemy of Dave so they blamed the magazine. it's a small industry.

by Anonymousreply 19May 20, 2022 12:48 AM

Why is everyone so scared of pissing off Dave? I thought he was supposed to be a nice guy. Is he secretly scary behind the scenes? What gives?

by Anonymousreply 20May 21, 2022 10:45 AM

R20- Power/Money.

by Anonymousreply 21May 21, 2022 10:49 AM

Why didn’t he just go to rehab for exhaustion?

by Anonymousreply 22May 21, 2022 11:01 AM

I guess the lead singer calls the shots.

Piss him off, and the group is done.

by Anonymousreply 23May 21, 2022 11:11 AM

Rolling Stone is about to receive some obscene phone calls from Dave Grohl after publishing that article.

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by Anonymousreply 24May 21, 2022 11:19 AM

Karoshi?

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by Anonymousreply 25May 21, 2022 11:39 AM

Overworked but not underpaid

by Anonymousreply 26May 21, 2022 11:41 AM

He’s gone.

Let’s not get all worked up about how people deal with the loss of their friend, family member or coworker.

This guy participated in creating and playing some of the best music out here in the last 50 years. And for that? I’m grateful.

RIP, dude. 🙏🏽

by Anonymousreply 27May 21, 2022 12:08 PM

You can DIE from exhaustion? Oh no!

by Anonymousreply 28May 21, 2022 12:34 PM

Just say drugs for fuck's sake. Why do they always have to lie about the cause of death in order to protect a person's legacy and the dignity of their survivors?

The guy was in a world famous rock band. He wasn't a Christian missionary who worked for decades in a leper colony or fed starving children or was a former Pope FFS.

by Anonymousreply 29May 21, 2022 12:40 PM

R20 yeah, this whole fallout makes Dave seem like a tyrant and a narcissist.

This quote is so sad. If you’re too scared to talk to a colleague and friend about the fact you want to quit, that you can’t do it for years, something is amiss.

[quote] “The fact that [Hawkins] 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 f***ing balls. That did take a year of working up the guts to do.”

by Anonymousreply 30May 21, 2022 1:13 PM

[quote] “The fact that [Hawkins] 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 f***ing balls. That did take a year of working up the guts to do.”

And then he died.

Wow, that really sucks.

by Anonymousreply 31May 21, 2022 1:42 PM

[quote]Why is everyone so scared of pissing off Dave? I thought he was supposed to be a nice guy. Is he secretly scary behind the scenes? What gives?

From the little I've heard him in interviews and seen in videos, he's a passive-aggressive, shit stirring alcoholic. He's way too old to still be falling off the stage in a drunken stupor.

by Anonymousreply 32May 21, 2022 10:44 PM

[quote]Just say drugs for fuck's sake. Why do they always have to lie about the cause of death in order to protect a person's legacy and the dignity of their survivors?

Because his cause of death hasn't been officially announced yet, genius! All we have so far is nothing but speculation and hearsay from so-called "friends" and anonymous sources who weren't even around when he died.

by Anonymousreply 33May 22, 2022 2:01 AM

OK, so let’s break it down on the real:

This thread is really about,

“Is Dave an asshole”?

Right?

by Anonymousreply 34May 22, 2022 3:30 AM

Some people are just perfectionists when it comes to work. And in his case the stakes are higher than normal.

by Anonymousreply 35May 22, 2022 3:31 AM

Not really, R35.

Rock stars due earlier than most, so far.

What people don’t get, is how GRUELING touring is.

It’s probably like working out for 3-4 hours, 3-5 days a week, or so I’ve heard.

It makes sense. Performance art isn’t easy, and drummers are athletes, truly. As are the guitarists and lead/background singers.

Performing music is a VERY physical job, and it drains the fuck out of those who are obligated to do so per contractual obligations, x nights per week.

Yes. People with bad tickers who are also dehydrated CAN AND DO die from exhaustion.

It isn’t always drugs.

The lab tox reports keep the REAL score here

Remember that. 👆🏽

by Anonymousreply 36May 22, 2022 3:39 AM

Dave performed an amazing feat. He was a drummer in Nirvana; lead singer and icon Kurt Cobain dies of apparent suicide. Things are in a shambles.

Somehow, Dave the drummer, like Phoenix from the ashes, becomes frontman in Foo Fighters. FF, in some ways, is more popular than Nirvana was (more wide appeal).

At this point, Dave is powerful & rich and, as stated above, the 2 guys who allowed RS to interview them are now trying to walk back what they said (maybe) in order to not piss off Dave.

Dave was Hawkins' boss. Was he a taskmaster? Maybe. But I don't think it was his fault that Hawkins died.

by Anonymousreply 37May 22, 2022 3:40 AM

R37, I get what you are saying, but Dave should NOT be charge or control of the direction of his band, because he will always be biased.

That’s NOT a bad thing, it’s just human nature.

Unbiased, objective parties need to be AND are contractually obligated to deal with disability//workers comp issues.

Had Hawkins reached out to the correct channels in order to resolve this issue, he would have been able to legally bypass Dave, while still eating an adjust, lowered or equal income as specified by his contract.

I’m obviously not aware of where the FF incorporated, or under what label or state, or publishing rights percentages, but Hawkins had SOME protection under US Federal law.

by Anonymousreply 38May 22, 2022 3:49 AM

He is liable. i mean the poor guy collapsed in Dec. Did the band do anything to help him with his issues? He supposedly had a "heart to heart" talk with Dave after that but the tour continued, nothing changed. He should have quit the band. He was already very wealthy from just banging the drums.

by Anonymousreply 39May 22, 2022 3:49 AM

There is a reason none of them have said anything and is denying everything....they are guilty as fuck!

by Anonymousreply 40May 22, 2022 3:51 AM

Reading some of those comments people act like Dave chained the poor guy to a drum kit for hours a day while whipping him on the two and four.

by Anonymousreply 41May 22, 2022 3:55 AM

It's not like Hawkins could have performed "light duty" like you do on Workers' Comp. He knew he was pushing it, he was having anxiety. He sounded delusional about his enlarged heart.

He had FOMO, fear of missing out, because the last time he tried to break ranks, they hired another drummer.

No, the toxicology results are not known yet, but I really think he was back on drugs.

by Anonymousreply 42May 22, 2022 3:56 AM

Somebody got to them as they are all recanting

by Anonymousreply 43May 22, 2022 4:01 AM

R39 Dave is denying they had that talk

by Anonymousreply 44May 22, 2022 4:02 AM

R43, those somebody’s you mentioned are called attorneys, varied insurance agents in various insurance sectors, creative/talent management, CPA firms, realtors, banks, mortgage companies, and big lenders such as BIG banks.

That’s what this will and always boil don’t to:

MONEY.

Get while you can. It’s the all American way.

by Anonymousreply 45May 22, 2022 4:06 AM

There’s a rumor in town that Courtney had to move to _______, because “someone” was attempting to put her in a conservatorship, “ala Britney”.

Any truth to this, and if so, who funded this; and specifically why and how?

Just asking…

I have an enquirer’s mind too, Bitches.

by Anonymousreply 46May 22, 2022 4:14 AM

I agree it’s not Dave Grohls fault. Taylor Hawkins was a grown man. He’s not his mother.

by Anonymousreply 47May 22, 2022 4:16 AM

R47, it depends.

Some people need more help and support than others.

Not everyone is THAT mentally strong, even with sound financial representation and management.

by Anonymousreply 48May 22, 2022 4:21 AM

R46, why the mystery over her new place of residence?

by Anonymousreply 49May 22, 2022 5:10 AM

Doesn't Love spend a lot of time now in London?

by Anonymousreply 50May 23, 2022 3:10 AM

I have been around Grohl a few times, and I have close friends in the Foo circle. Here's what I have heard/witnessed re: Grohl:

He is a complete workaholic

He comes across as an alpha, but not necessarily a megalomaniac or narc

He drinks a crazy amount of coffee

He is a perfectionist

He cheats on his wife

His wife is not a pleasant person. Kind of a mean girl

He love to tour because it allows him spend time away from his wife

He calls his bandmates his "brothers" - which while sincere and heartfelt, also creates the potential for guilt, shame or social ostracization if a bandmate wants to do anything other than live and breathe Foo Fighters 24/7/365

He does not sexually assault or creep out women. He just plays around.

He knows a few magic tricks. I saw him do a magic trick for some friends' kids in the green room.

by Anonymousreply 51May 23, 2022 4:30 AM

Here is a funny video of Grohl and coffee:

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by Anonymousreply 52May 23, 2022 4:35 AM

Why didn't Dave stay with his first wife if the 2nd is a bitch?

by Anonymousreply 53May 23, 2022 4:37 AM

R53 That's like asking "Why didn't Johnny Depp stay with Vanessa if he and Amber Heard were so toxic together? Answer: How would he have known in advance? These things aren't always immediately apparent.

by Anonymousreply 54May 23, 2022 4:45 AM

R42, you cannot sound delusional about an enlarged heart.

It’s called cardiomyopathy, and it kill teens, up to people in their late 40s to late 50s.

Kills teens and young adults, as well.

by Anonymousreply 55May 23, 2022 4:49 AM

Interesting post, R36.

I can only imagine how grueling it is to be on a tour like what you described.

I could never do it.

I get winded just sitting in my office chair 8 hours a day, five hours a week.

by Anonymousreply 56May 23, 2022 4:53 AM

Grohl presents as a high functioning aspie, while Hawkins presents as neuro-typical, with fatigue and anxiety.

by Anonymousreply 57May 23, 2022 5:02 AM

I just wanna point out that some of Dave’s closest friends are posting on this thread.

Decipher that, as you will.

by Anonymousreply 58May 23, 2022 5:19 AM

And you know this how, r58.

by Anonymousreply 59May 23, 2022 4:05 PM

I really hope this news results in the gushing love affair of Dave Grohl coming to an end and exposing the guy for what he is: a total famewhoring opportunist blind for money and adoration.

And nope, no love for Courtney Love either. Just that Grohl has always smacked of a self worshiping douche who poses as some approachable, affable Everyman. He isn’t.

by Anonymousreply 60May 23, 2022 4:36 PM

I admire Grohls work ethic.

by Anonymousreply 61May 23, 2022 5:53 PM

"Reading some of those comments people act like Dave chained the poor guy to a drum kit for hours a day while whipping him on the two and four."

One can believe that Grohl is not directly responsible for Hawkins' death and also believe that he has WAY too much power in the music industry. Chad Smith's groveling apology tells me all I need to know.

by Anonymousreply 62May 23, 2022 6:19 PM

so did they ever release the autopsy report?!

by Anonymousreply 63September 4, 2022 2:38 AM

Lincoln freed the slaves, people!

All but one, all but one…

by Anonymousreply 64September 4, 2022 2:43 AM

I think it was a suicide

by Anonymousreply 65September 4, 2022 2:57 AM

So tragic. Should have listened to his body and quit the band.

by Anonymousreply 66September 4, 2022 3:18 AM

Slaves had every right to claim exhaustion and couldn't, or they'd be brutalized beyond recognition.

These are a bunch of over privileged over paid selfish white men, who have always had it easy in life.

So please!

by Anonymousreply 67September 4, 2022 3:21 AM

Hawkins's son slayed it, I was in fucking tears...I bet he take over for his dad in the band.

by Anonymousreply 68September 4, 2022 4:38 AM

Dave's nasty tats were in full display...so fucking ugly!!!

by Anonymousreply 69September 4, 2022 4:52 AM

r37 You read my mind, I was about to post something similar.

It is weird how Dave was the drummer for Nirvana while Kurt was the lead singer/frontman. Then Kurt dies and Dave becomes lead singer/frontman of the Foo Fighters, basically filling in Kurt's spot and then Taylor, who takes Dave's would-be place as drummer in the Foo Fighters, dies while in the band. That is some weird voodoo shit. I wonder if Courtney Love put some hex or curse on Dave or something, I wouldn't put it past her (or maybe even Dave did it himself).

by Anonymousreply 70September 4, 2022 6:10 PM

Dave’s quite the perfectionist. Not surprised he drove Taylor to exhaustion

by Anonymousreply 71September 5, 2022 1:55 PM

Am I the only one who didn’t know about the Foo Fighters association with AIDS denialism? This was a depressing read.

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by Anonymousreply 72September 5, 2022 2:03 PM

Only the first 3 albums were good.

by Anonymousreply 73September 5, 2022 5:48 PM

Foo Fighters "honor" Taylor Hawkins at Wembley Stadium.

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by Anonymousreply 74September 5, 2022 6:28 PM

Are they going to disband much like Dave’s band Nirvana when Kurt died?

by Anonymousreply 75September 5, 2022 7:07 PM

Thanks, R72, had never heard that.

by Anonymousreply 76September 6, 2022 1:12 AM

R75 Likely. I can't see them replacing Taylor for now. He was an essential part of the band and their sound, kinda like Flea is for the Chilli Peppers - not an easy guy to replace! besides being the band's most charismatic and recognizable face after Grohl's. Maybe Taylor's son when he turns 18 might join the band since he plays exactly like his dad. It's not like they're starving, and they're almost 60, so they don't need to find a new drummer ASAP in order to pay their bills for now.

by Anonymousreply 77September 14, 2022 3:23 AM

I want to nuzzle his pits after one of his three hour drumming sessions. And now it is too late. RIP sweatums.

by Anonymousreply 78September 14, 2022 3:35 AM

He died because he is "narcissistic".

by Anonymousreply 79September 14, 2022 3:49 AM
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