In Memoriam of Taylor Hawkins

Story posted April 5, 2022 in

American musician, Taylor Hawkins was one of a kind.

Before he joined the Foo Fighters in 1997, he toured with Alanis Morissette and a couple of other acts. He was so talented that for 25 years he was the drummer of Dave Grohl’s band.

He was the co-writer and drummer for eight of their studio albums, first appearing on 1999’s “There Is Nothing Left to Lose.” Some of the group's biggest hits, “Learn to Fly,” “Best of You,” and “The Pretender,” wouldn’t have been as significant without him.

Hawkins also provided vocals on several tracks throughout the Foo’s discography including fan favorite, “Cold Day In the Sun.” On Tour, he would notability sing covers of his favorite songs like “Under Pressure” by Queen. He had an incredible voice that was unfortunately sometimes overshadowed.

He formed several side projects, with his largest being “Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders,” in which they recorded three studio albums. During these performances, he would drum and sing passionately at the same time.

A supergroup album featuring members of Jane’s Addiction was supposed to come out this year as well.

In Dave Grohl’s book, “The Storyteller,” which came out last year, he discussed the relationship between him and Taylor.

“​​Upon first meeting, our bond was immediate, and we grew closer with every day, every song, every note that we ever played together... We are absolutely meant to be, and I am grateful that we found each other in this lifetime.” Grohl said. 

Artists, celebrities, and fans alike around the world mourned the loss of Hawkins after learning about his death. It was clear to see that millions of people were positively impacted because of his music and the overwhelmingly bright light that he shined.

He left behind three children and a wife. Needless to say, it is a painful time for anyone who personally knew him or anyone who just listened to his music casually.

There will never be anyone else like him, and he will be missed dearly.

Caelan Chevrier is a second-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email cjc6789@psu.edu.

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Caelan Chevrier

Third Year / Marketing & Journalism

Caelan Chevrier is a third-year student in the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University studying marketing and broadcast journalism with the goal of graduating with a bachelor’s degree in four years. His career goal is to spread informative, meaningful, and entertaining content across various platforms and to be a positive impact on the community. He has also spent time working at WWE in the communications department and writing for The Westport Local Press in his hometown of Westport, CT. If you’d like to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).