'We were unstoppable': Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl gets emotional while paying tribute to his 'brother' Taylor Hawkins

Grohl describes his bond with Hawkins by saying their 'chance meeting was a kind of love at first sight'

PUBLISHED SEP 4, 2022

Taylor Hawkins' death has left Dave Grohl and the rest of the Foo Fighters devastated (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

WEMBLEY, LONDON: Foo Fighters vocalist Dave Grohl couldn’t hold back his emotions as he remembered his former bandmate and close friend, the late Taylor Hawkins. There was an outpouring of emotions in Wembley, London, on Saturday, September 3, as celebrities, including Dave Chappelle, Elton John, Jason Sudeikis, Liam Gallagher, Paul McCartney, and more, joined the the rock band to celebrate and pay tribute to the deceased drummer.

Opening the event, Grohl, 53, began with an emotional speech in memory of his friend Hawkins. "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we've gathered here to celebrate the life, the music, and the love of our dear friend, our bandmate, our brother Taylor Hawkins. For those of you who knew him personally, you know that no one else could make you smile or laugh or dance or sing like he could. And for those of you that admired him from afar, I'm sure you've all felt the same thing." Grohl also urged the crowd to sing and dance along so that "he could hear us right now."

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Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters perform during day three of Lollapalooza Chile 2022 at Parque Bicentenario Cerrillos on March 20, 2022 in Santiago, Chile. — Dave Grohl, in his memoir said that he and Taylor Hawkins became an 'unstoppable duo'(Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images)

Hawkins passed away on March 25, 2022, in Bogota, Colombia, shortly before a scheduled music performance, after he complained of chest pain while in his hotel. According to the Attorney General’s office in Colombia, in a preliminary urine toxicology test, ten different substances were found, including THC, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opioids. Hawkins was 50 years old at the time of his passing.

Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters performs onstage at the after party for the Los Angeles premiere of — Taylor Hawkins was found dead in a hotel room in Bogota, Colombia (Rich Fury/Getty Images)

Grohl and Hawkins have been friends for years, beyond the music and the band that connected the two. According to People, in an interview prior to his death, Hawkins called Grohl his "f*****g life partner”, while Grohl once described the late drummer as "my brother from another mother, my best friend, a man for whom I would take a bullet."

In his memoir 'The Storyteller', Grohl also revealed the other aspects of their friendship. "Upon first meeting, our bond was immediate, and we grew closer every day, every song, every note that we played together. I am not afraid to say that our chance meeting was a kind of love at first sight, igniting a musical 'twin flame' that still burns to this day. Together, we have become an unstoppable duo, onstage and off, in pursuit of any and all adventure we can find. We are absolutely meant to be, and I am grateful that we found each other in this lifetime."

A second tribute concert in the memory of Hawkins is scheduled for September 27 at the Kia Forum in LA.