Inside Taylor Hawkins’ drug and overdose battle years before the Foo Fighters drummer’s shock death at 50

TAYLOR Hawkins spoke candidly about his drug and overdose struggles years before his shocking death at the age of 50.

The ‘untimely’ death of the Foo Fighters drummer was announced by the band on Friday March 25, although the cause of death is not yet known.

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In 2001, Hawkins overdosed on heroin and ended up in a weeks-long coma – just four years after joining the Foo Fighters.

In an interview with Kerrang 2021! Hawkins shared the harrowing details of that experience.

He told the publication: “Everyone has their own path and I’ve gone too far.

“I was partying in London one night and I accidentally did something and it changed everything.

“I believed the damn myth of living hard and fast, dying young.

“I’m not here to preach not to do drugs because I loved to do drugs, but I just got out of control for a while and it almost got me.

“I was on a path that would lead to even worse paths. Whether someone is sober, or likes a glass of wine with dinner, or wants a bottle of Jagermeister before going on stage, or likes to smoke Doobies all day, everyone has their own path, and I’ve gone too far.

“I’m glad it was knocked on the head at this point. I also wouldn’t take anything away from what I’ve done or been through because it’s all part of the journey and the journey. I try to be as open as I can be.”

In another interview in 2018, Hawkins admitted he had been honest and open with his two children, Oliver and Annabelle, about the overdose.

He also mentioned in this interview the steps he took to get over the dose.

Read our Taylor Hawkins Live Blog for the latest news and updates…

“I’m not an AA guy,” he told Ultimate Classic Rock three years ago. “I don’t really debate how I live my life in that regard,” he continued during the 2018 interview.

“I have [a] system that works for me. It’s been a year [when] The party just got a little too intense.

“And thank God this guy sort of gave me the wrong line or word one night and I woke up and I was like, ‘What the hell happened?’

“That was a real turning point for me.”

“There’s no happy ending with hard drugs,” Hawkins added.

“You’re going to experiment, you’re going to do all the shit, but at the end of the day, there’s no happy ending.”

“I’M GOING MOUNTAIN BIKING NOW”

But in Kerrang 2021! In the interview, Hawkins revealed how mountain biking had helped him progress.

“I get ideas for songs and that’s where I do a lot of my problem solving and deep thinking,” he said of the activity.

“Sometimes I write songs in my head and then hop into my studio to put them down right away. I like to go alone.

“I like to listen to old Aerosmith and Van Halen records to kind of pump me up. It’s my time and I love it. It’s a chance to clear your head.”

Hawkins recorded another album, One by One, with the Foo Fighters in the months following his overdose. The album was released in 2002.

“UNIMAGEABLE LOSS”

Hawkins’ death was described by the Foo Fighters as an “unimaginable” loss.

The band – made up of Dave Grohl, Pat Smear, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Rami Jaffee – split up statement on social media.

The Twitter post read: “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 on in 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 at this unimaginably difficult time.”

The Foo Fighters did not immediately release a cause of death.

HIS LEGACY

In addition to being a member of the Foo Fighters, Hawkins has also played with a handful of other well-known artists throughout his career.

He drummed with Alanis Morissette in the 1990s at the height of her career. Hawkins appeared on an episode of HBO’s Music Box that was about Morissette.

In 1997, after the Foo Fighters lost their original drummer, William Goldsmith, Hawkins joined the band.

While with the band, Hawkins had a handful of other projects including Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders.

He formed the trio with Navarro and Chaney in 2021.

Her first two singles were Feed The Cruel and Better Move On.

Just a few weeks ago, the trio released a cover of Pink Floyd’s Fearless.

Hawkins is survived by wife Allison, whom he married in 2005, and two children.