Fellow Drummers Say Taylor Hawkins Was Exhausted By Touring

Two of Taylor Hawkins’ friends claim that the drummer complained repeatedly about the Foo Fighters schedule before his death in March.

Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers both spoke with Rolling Stone for an article about Hawkins life and both mentioned that the touring pace was something he brought up with Dave Grohl.

Cameron said, “He told me that he ‘couldn’t do it anymore’ — those were his words” and that Hawkins and Grohl had a “heart-to-heart” about it. Cameron added, “So I guess they did come to some understanding, but it just seems like the touring schedule got even crazier after that….He tried to keep up. He just did whatever it took to keep up, and in the end he couldn’t keep up.”

Chad Smith said that Hawkins lost consciousness during a flight last December and needed medical attention. “He just said he was exhausted and collapsed, and they had to pump him full of IVs and stuff.” Smith added that was “one of the straws that broke the camel’s back….After that, [Hawkins] had a real important heart-to-heart with Dave and the management. He said, ‘I can’t continue on this schedule, and so we’ve got to figure out something.'”

A representative for the Foo Fighters and their management denied Cameron and Smith’s claims to Rolling Stone. None of the Foo Fighters or anyone in Hawkins’ family agreed to be interviewed for the story.