Lars Ulrich Shares Beautiful Tribute to Taylor Hawkins

Late Friday night, March 25, the world was stunned to hear Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away at the age of 50. It is sudden and unexpected, and it is absolutely gut-wrenching.

Our hearts and all of our sympathy go out to the band, fans, friends and family all over as we continue to mourn this tragic loss.

A few hours after learning about Hawkins, Lars Ulrich shared a heartfelt tribute to his friend. "Thank you Taylor," the tribute begins.

Thank you Taylor…
Thank you for always having the biggest warmest smile on your face and for lighting up every room with your infectious energy and good vibes.
At BottleRock recently, I had the best seat in the house right above you and once again stood in amazement watching as you effortlessly steered Foo Fighters through a two hour festival set with the perfect balance of swing, swagger, bounce and insane chops.
Your phone call a week ago touched and inspired me and I will always be appreciative for you championing our community as in your parting words….
"Drummers stick together!"
Damn right brother.
Except now the community is lesser without you.
Rest In Peace...

Along with the message, Ulrich also shared a beautiful photo with Hawkins. You can see the full tribute below:

Hawkins has been drumming with Foo Fighters since 1997, appearing on every Foo record beginning with 1999's There Is Nothing Left to Lose.

Metallica and Foo Fighters are currently set to co-headline Boston Calling over Memorial Day weekend. Foo Fighters are scheduled to close out night one on Friday, May 27, and Metallica will wrap up the weekend on Sunday, May 29.

Metallica and Foo Fighters

As we grieve, honor and remember Hawkins, we are revisiting a few unforgettable memories of the worlds of Metallica and Foo Fighters coming together.

The first comes from Metallica's 2018 gig in Milwaukee. The opening act, comedian Jim Breuer, surprised fans by showing them who was hanging out backstage before the show: Dave Grohl and Hawkins.

The second memory is from 2018, too, but takes us to Foo Fighters' gig in Kansas City as Grohl invites a young fan to the stage to play "Enter Sandman"; Hawkins, of course, looks like he's having the time of his life as he jams out with him on the cover:

And another memory takes us to Detroit in 2013 when Hawkins interviewed Robert Trujillo and Ulrich at the second year of the Orion Music + More festival. Though the video is short, you can get a clear sense of Hawkins' personality as he interacts with Trujillo and Ulrich.