Elton John Honors Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins in Des Moines

Taylor Hawkins, the drummer for the famed band Foo Fighters, passed away this weekend. He was 50 years old.

In what is believed to be an overdose, he was found in his hotel room in Bogota, Colombia.

He was with the band for 25 years as of March 18, 2022. In addition to his drumming, Hawkins also provided vocals, guitar, and piano to various recordings. His final performance came at the Lollapalooza Argentina festival on March 20, 2022.

Hearing of the rocker's passing, a variety of musicians paid tribute to Hawkins over the weekend, including Slash, Mammoth WVH, Rush, Stevie Nicks, and many others. Liam Gallager dedicated Oasis' "Live Forever" to the drummer in a Saturday night concert.

Another legend, Elton John, honored Hawkins this Saturday at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

In a show that was rescheduled from its original date of June 2020, John made his first appearance in the Hawkeye State in over a decade. He made it a memorable one for fans who attended by dedicating his performance of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me," to Hawkins.

John addressed the crowd with a statement before performing:

I got up this morning to see that Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters had passed away, and I was so shocked because he played on my Lockdown Sessions album and he was one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

And one of the greatest drummers and a true musician who loved all sorts of music and loved life. And it seems so sad that at 50 years of age we’ve lost someone who had that much passion. And it makes me so downhearted for his family – his three children, his wife, his other relatives, and, of course, the Foo Fighters, who’ve lost a dearest loved one that can never, ever be replaced.

His music will on, but I can tell you, he was a great, great one.