Rock mourns Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters 1:28
(CNN) --
Taylor Hawkins, the golden-haired musician who for more than two decades drummed for the Foo Fighters on their way to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, has died, the band said Friday in an announcement made shortly before the group played in Colombia.
Hawkins was 50 years old.
"The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins. His musical spirit and infectious laugh will live with us all forever," the band said on Twitter.
"Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that his privacy be treated with the utmost respect at this unimaginably difficult time."
The cause of death has not been revealed.
However, on Saturday afternoon, the Colombian Prosecutor's Office indicated in a statement that "10 types of substances were preliminarily found" in Hawkins' body.
In the statement, obtained by CNN, it is explained that "in the urine toxicological test performed on the body of Taylor Hawkins, 10 types of substances were preliminarily found, including: THC (marijuana), tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids."
The Prosecutor's Office assures that the Institute of Legal Medicine continues with the medical studies to clarify the cause of death of Hawkins.
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9-year-old Foo Fighters fan met and played for Taylor Hawkins, three days before her death
On Friday, the band was scheduled to play in Bogotá for the Festival Estéreo Picnic, followed by the Lollapalooza Brasil festival on Sunday, according to its website.
Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters performs onstage at the after party for the Los Angeles premiere of "Studio 666" at the Fonda Theater on February 16, 2022 in Hollywood, California.
(Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
The performance was canceled just as fans gathered at 11:00 p.m., according to Romeo Reyes, who told CNN that he traveled from El Salvador to Bogotá to attend the festival.
“We were getting into position when they announced that the Foo Fighters wouldn't be performing, but they didn't say why.
About 10 minutes later, it was learned that Taylor had died,” Reyes said.
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"No one knew the reason for the cancellation... We were all sad. But like I said, no one knew that Taylor had died. We found out about 10 or 15 minutes later," he said.
Candles were later placed on the main stage as a vigil for Hawkins, and screens on five stages projected the message "Taylor Hawkins Forever."
In memory of Taylor Hawkins
The Foo Fighters were formed in 1994 by Dave Grohl, who had been the drummer for Nirvana.
Three years later, Hawkins, a native of Texas, joined the band after previously being the drummer in Alanis Morissette's band.
In an interview with Anderson Cooper for "60 Minutes" in 2014, Grohl discussed Hawkins' impact on the band.
"When you have a drummer like Taylor Hawkins in your band, I don't necessarily miss being the drummer, because I have the best drummer in the world," Grohl said.
"Taylor is a much more technical drummer than I am."
In the same interview, Hawkins acknowledged that it took him a while to find his place in the band but that Grohl "never made it difficult for him".
He also talked about his first musical love, the British band Queen.
"I wanted to be Roger Taylor and I wanted to be in Queen," said Hawkins.
"He wanted to play stadiums when he was 10 years old."
The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year, its first year of eligibility.
News of his death sparked great sadness on social media from fans and fellow musicians.
"God bless you Taylor Hawkins. Loved your spirit and unstoppable rock power. Rest in peace my friend," Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello wrote in a Twitter post.
God bless you Taylor Hawkins.
I loved your spirit and your unstoppable rock power.
Rest In Peace my friend.
pic.twitter.com/AkiRLF2L3e
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) March 26, 2022
Miley Cyrus, who is scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza Brazil on Saturday, said on Instagram that she would dedicate her performance in Sao Paulo to Hawkins.
He also shared a photo of Hawkins playing drums, captioning it: "This is how I'll always remember you."
Ringo Starr tweeted: "God bless Taylor, peace and love to all her family and the band, peace and love."
And singer Ozzy Osbourne spoke about Hawkins, saying "he was a really great person and an amazing musician."
"My heart, love and condolences go out to his wife, his children, his family, his band and his fans. See you on the other side," Osbourne wrote on Twitter.
CNN's David de Sola and Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.
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