On Mar. 22, Taylor Hawkins — the 50-year-old drummer from the rock band The Foo Fighters — was found dead in his hotel room at the Four Seasons Casa Medina in Bogota, Colombia. 

After his passing, the band posted a message on Twitter stating: “The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins. His 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.”

According to the Secretary of Health in Bogota, emergency officials received a report about a patient (Hawkins) complaining of chest pains at a hotel. An ambulance was sent, but efforts to resuscitate Hawkins were unsuccessful. 

On Mar. 26, Colombia’s Prosecutor Office released a statement stating that a toxicology report found more than 10 “psychoactive substances and medicines” in Hawkins’ body, including marijuana, opioids, heroin, antidepressants and other drugs. However, the report did not rule the death as an overdose but is taking more time to examine the cause of death. 

The Foo Fighters were on their South American tour, and Hawkins had played a show with the band in San Isidro, Argentina just two days before his death. The band was scheduled to play a show in Bogota later in the week. On Mar. 29, the Foo Fighters announced that they would be canceling the remainder of their tour. 

Hawkins’ death shook the music and entertainment industry, leaving the world reeling from the news of his passing. Fans and musicians have been paying tribute to the legendary drummer in the days following his passing. 

On Instagram, Roger Taylor, the drummer of Queen and one of Hawkins’ idols, revered the late drummer as a “kind, brilliant man” and “the best friend anyone could ever have.” Jimmy Page, founder and guitarist of Led Zeppelin, recalled playing with the Foo Fighters on a tour in 2008 and honored the energy and spirit that Hawkins brought to the stage. 

Funeral plans for Hawkins have not yet been released. With his success as a drummer and a member of the Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins’ legacy will undoubtedly continue to impact the music and entertainment world well into the future.