Taylor Hawkins honoured with drum circle tribute in his hometown
Taylor Hawkins has been honoured with a drum circle tribute in his hometown of Laguna Beach – you can see footage below.
The Foo Fighters drummer died last month (March 25) at the age of 50. The band announced the news in a statement on social media; no cause of death was given.
“The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of Taylor Hawkins,” the statement read. “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.”
Tributes have been flowing in for Hawkins since the news of his death, including those from Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello, Queen guitarist Brian May, Ozzy Osbourne, John Mayer, Sam Fender, Ringo Starr, Nickelback, Incubus and many more.
On Thursday (March 31), Hawkins was honoured with a drum circle at Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach, California, hosted by local radio station KX FM.
CBS Los Angeles shared footage from the event, which saw friends and family of Hawkins in attendance as well as fans and locals who would often see the late drummer walking the beach, surfing waves and shopping at local stores.
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Hawkins relocated to Laguna Beach with his family during the early years of his childhood; he graduated from Laguna Beach High School.
Speaking at the drum circle, one of Hawkins’ old high school friends, James Pribram, told The Orange County Register: “He was just the most genuine, positive, respectful person you could imagine. He was very down to Earth. There was nothing about him that said rock star.”
The drum circle tribute was a chance for the local community to pay tribute to one of its own. They played music around a bonfire and wrote the drummer messages on a memorial – which can be seen below.
Taylor Hawkins Memorial March 31st Laguna Beach Loves And Misses Him Forever ??
Posted by Kevin Jones on Thursday, March 31, 2022
Community members and music fans came out to celebrate the life of Taylor Hawkins with a drum circle tonight at Aliso Creek State Beach. pic.twitter.com/iSRMqAzr5d
— Andrew Turner (@AndrewTurnerTCN) April 1, 2022
Here is a clip from our good friend @andiktaylor who attended the Drum Circle on the beach in the Laguna Beach area in honor of TAYLOR HAWKINS, organized by locals. 03/31/22Taylor grew up in Laguna Beach,CA#TaylorHawkins #DrumCircle #LagunaBeach #FooFighters
Posted by Foozie's Foo Fighters News on Friday, April 1, 2022
The likes of Paul McCartney, Elton John, Joan Jett, Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Liam Gallagher, Slash and Stevie Nicks have all paid tribute to Hawkins’ life and career since the news of his death was confirmed.
Queen’s Brian May has said that he feels “so frustrated” by the drummer’s death, speaking in a new interview about Hawkins, sharing that he was “very close to [Queen]”.
The Grammys will also pay tribute to the Hawkins during their 2022 ceremony tonight (April 3). Foo Fighters were initially booked to play live at the event – they were announced as part of the itinerary just a day before Hawkins’ death – but cancelled their performance on Thursday (March 31).
Earlier in the week, the band confirmed they were cancelling all of their upcoming tour dates in light of Hawkins’ death.
An official cause of death for Hawkins hasn’t yet been released. An initial toxicology report into his death has been carried out by health officials in Bogotá.