Preliminary police report hasn’t established cause of death
The shocking death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins could be drug related. The South American publication El Tiempo reports that a preliminary police report reads, “The cause of death is yet to be established. According to versions of relatives, the death could be associated with the consumption of narcotic substances.”
Preliminary toxicology results found 10 different substances which includes marijuana, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids in his system, according to a report by the Office of the Attorney General in Colombia.
The band was on tour in South America when Hawkins had complained of chest pain on Friday (Mar 25th). Staff at the Casa Medina hotel near Bogota, Colombia, where the band was staying, had called for emergency personnel. However, when the doctors arrived by ambulance, Hawkins’ body was discovered deceased in his hotel room. Efforts to resuscitate Hawkins were unsuccessful.
His cause of death has not been confirmed as of press time as authorities investigate. Forensic evidence will be analyzed to determine an official cause.
His body was removed form the scene as a crowd soon gathered where they held a candlelight vigil to mourn Hawkins.
The band was slated to headline the Festival Estero Picnic in Bogota on Friday and Lollapalooza Brasil in Sao Paulo on Sunday (Mar 27th). Both performances have been canceled. They had played Lollapalooza Chile on March 18th and Lollapalooza Argentina on March 20th.
Hawkins spent two weeks in a coma after overdosing on drugs in 2001. He discussed the incident with Beats 1 in 2008.
“I was partying a lot. I wasn’t a junkie per se, but I was partying. There was a year where the partying just got a little too heavy,” Hawkins stated. “Thank God on some level this guy gave me the wrong line with the wrong thing one night and I woke up going, ‘What the fuck happened?’ That was a real changing point for me.”
Hawkins is survived by his wife and three children. Last year, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during its first year of eligibility.
The group also released its first-ever horror film, Studio 666, last month. They were also announced as a performer on the GRAMMYs next weekend in Las Vegas. The fate of that performance and their upcoming extensive US tour are unclear at this point.
