Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is still grappling with the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022, sharing that the grief is still hard to process. The band is set to release a new album, and Grohl shared that it was a necessary outlet for coping with the loss, much like how he turned to music following the death of Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain decades earlier.
Dave Grohl Is Still Making Sense Of Taylor Hawkins’ Passing
Grohl is speaking out for the first time about the death of his bandmate and close friend, sharing in an interview with Mojo Magazine how, nearly four years later, he is still processing Hawkins’ absence.
The singer said Hawkins’ death was “never meant to be,” adding, “That threw our world upside down and made me question everything about life, that it was so unfair. I still have a hard time making sense of it,” the frontman explained.
Hawkins passed away in 2022 while the Foo Fighters were in the middle of their South American tour. The drummer called his hotel’s front desk complaining of chest pain, and he was found unresponsive in his room. Paramedics were immediately called, but they were not able to revive the drummer. Per The Blast, he passed away from a cardiovascular collapse, and 10 substances were found in his body.
Dave Grohl Suffered Another Loss Shortly After
Following Hawkins’ death, the Foo Fighters cancelled the rest of their tour and took a much-needed break. Five months later, Grohl experienced another loss. His mother, Virginia Grohl, passed away at 84 years old.
Grohl was with her mother until the time of her passing and shared that he turned to music, or else he “would explode.” “She was the most important person in my entire life. So I thought this had to be the most important music I ever made,” he said, referring to the song “The Teacher,” which was included in the 2023 album “But Here We Are,” Foo Fighters’ first record after their drummer’s death
As Grohl shared, one of his biggest fears was that his mother would pass away while he was gone on tour, but thankfully, he was able to take care of Virginia and spend time with her before her death. “I was there, and we were there together,” he noted.
Dave Grohl On Making Music Without Taylor Hawkins
Following the loss of two important people in his life, Grohl and the Foo Fighters went back to record music. As he told Mojo Magazine, the band had an idea about recording their next album live, but there was no one behind the drum kit.
“We’d hit the chord and play along to these drums. But there was no one there. There was just this void, and we were desperately trying to fill it,” he explained.
Instead of finding a drummer for the album, Grohl took over and played the drums himself. The frontman was credited as the band’s drummer in the Foo Fighters’ first two albums, but let Hawkins take the reins after he joined the band in 1997.
The Frontman Said Making Music Saved Him
Before finding success with the Foo Fighters, Grohl was the drummer for the grunge band Nirvana. The band’s lead singer, Kurt Cobain, died by suicide in April 1994 at the height of the band’s popularity.
Grohl had a difficult time with Cobain’s death, at one point even distancing himself from music. “I really couldn’t even turn on the radio, and I put the instruments away. Even hearing music hurt,” Grohl said in an interview.
The musician wanted to get away for a bit, and while driving, he passed by a hitchhiker who was wearing a Cobain shirt. He took that as a sign that he couldn’t “outrun” his grief, and that was when he decided to record some of the songs he wrote, which Cobain had approved of before his death. “I had to do it to survive, to get on with life. And I’m glad I did,” he shared.
Foo Fighters’ New Album
After Hawkins’ death, it made sense for the Foo Fighters to continue making music together as they realized it was something they “needed” to do. “Because it had saved us once before,” Grohl shared, referring to forming Foo Fighters after Cobain’s passing.
The Foo Fighters’ new album, “Your Favorite Toy,” will be released on April 24. They introduced their new drummer, Ilan Rubin, who replaced drummer Josh Freese after his short time with the band.