There were multiple drugs found in the room where Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died, according to a report out of Colombia which cited official sources.
“Colombian authorities found: marijuana, antidepressants, opioids, heroine [sic]. At least 10 different substances found,” tweeted journalist Luis Carlos Velez on Saturday afternoon, citing Fiscalia Colombia, the national attorney general’s office.
Hawkins, 50, was found dead in a hotel room at the Four Seasons Casa Medina in Bogota, on Friday.
Velez initially reported that Hawkins had overdosed, but later appeared to backtrack in a follow up tweet.
“Colombian authorities press release confirming 10 substances found #TaylorHawkins – Official release does not say overdose. Investigation continues,” he wrote.
Heartbroken fans gathered outside the building to mourn the sensational drummer behind international Foo Fighters hits such as “My Hero,” “Learn to Fly” and “Best of You.”
“According to those close to him, the death could be related to the consumption of drugs,” the Metropolitan Police of Bogota told El Tiempo hours after the drummer’s body was found.
A police officer said a “cocaine looking powder” was seen in the hotel room, claims Velez, while national newspaper El Tiempo reported that authorities “found hallucinogenic drugs” but “no signs of violence in the luxury hotel room.”
“Colombian authorities found: an empty beer can, an opened bottle of vodka, a Coca-Cola bottle, and some ‘other articles’ being analyzed by authorities,” Velez reported.
“The world of music and Bogota are in mourning over the death of the great Taylor Hawkins,” Bogota Mayor Claudia Lopez said in a release. “To his family and friends, to the Foo Fighters and all of his fans we send a hug and condolences.”
Hawkins, an electrifying performer with a stage presence that projected from behind his drum kit, had a history of known drug use. He overdosed on heroin in 2001 and spent a week in a coma, just four years after joining the Foo Fighters, according to The Sun.
“The Emergency Center received a report about a patient with pain in the chest in a hotel in the north of the city,” according to a release issued Saturday by the Bogota Secretary of Health, which noted that the organization sent an ambulance to the location. “However, when the teams from the Secretary of Health arrive[d], they found another emergency responder from the company EMI. The health care professional who attended to the emergency said that he performed all re-animation maneuvers but he did not receive a response and the patient was declared dead.”
The celebrated drummer enjoyed time with an adoring young fan just 72 hours before his death.
Emma Sofía Peralta, 9, an aspiring musician, started an online campaign to meet her idol on the Paraguay leg of the Foo Fighters’ South American tour, the Sun reports. Her wishes were realized Tuesday.
“Today we took her drums to play in front of the Sheraton and look who came out at her call,” her father posted on Twitter, alongside a picture of Emma and Hawkins. “Dreams come true.”
The Foo Fighters backed out of their scheduled Friday performance at the Picnic Stereo Festival in Bogotá shortly after announcing the death.
The band played Lollapalooza Chile on March 18 and Lollapalooza Argentina on March 20. They canceled their headlining performance at Lollapalooza Brasil, which was slated for Sunday.
“My show … is dedicated to Taylor Hawkins,” Miley Cyrus posted on Instagram with a photo of the drummer, before headlining the Saturday leg of the three-day music festival in Sao Paulo.
Tributes to Hawkins poured in from across musical generations.
“He was a friend and one of the most uplifting and inspiring people we have ever known,” wrote musician John Fogerty, former frontman for 1960s act Creedence Clearwater Revival. “A great drummer and a wonderful human being.”
