Foo Fighters Drummer Taylor Hawkins Dies At 50

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA — Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has died, according to a social media post from the band. He was 50.

The band was touring in South America and had been expected to play in Bogota, Colombia, on Friday night. Hawkins' last concert was on Sunday at Lollapalooza Argentina.

"His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever," the band said in its statement. "Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time."

The Bogota municipal government issued a statement Saturday that the city's emergency center had received a report of a patient with “chest pain” and sent an ambulance, though a private ambulance had already arrived at the hotel in northern Bogota.

Health workers tried to revive him but were unsuccessful. The cause of death was under investigation.

After touring as the drummer for Alanis Morrisette, Hawkins joined the Foo Fighters in 1997. Hawkins helped write eight of the band's 10 studio albums, beginning with the band's third studio album, "There Is Nothing Left To Lose," in 1999.

The U.S. Embassy in Bogota expressed condolences for family, friends and fans of Hawkins in a tweet.

It’s the second time Foo Fighters lead man Dave Grohl has experienced the death of a close bandmate. Grohl was the drummer for Nirvana when Kurt Cobain died in 1994.

Born Oliver Taylor Hawkins in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1972, Hawkins was raised in Laguna Beach, California. He played in the small Southern California band Sylvia before landing his first major gig as a drummer for Canadian singer Sass Jordan.

During his career, Hawkins described Rush and Genesis as some of his top influences in his music, expressing a particular affinity for Phil Collins, whom he called "an incredible drummer" in an interview with Louder.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.