LOS ANGELES — The Foo Fighters are canceling upcoming tour dates following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Hawkins, for 25 years the drummer for Foo Fighters and best friend of frontman Dave Grohl, died last week during a South American tour with the rock band. He was 50 years old.
"It is with great sadness that Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates in light of the staggering loss of our brother Taylor Hawkins," the band wrote Tuesday on Twitter.
The Foo Fighters apologized for the cancellation, but concluded with a heartfelt message to fans.
"Instead, let's take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we've made together," the band said.
The Foo Fighters were scheduled to play in Memphis's Beale Street Music Festival Tuesday. Other upcoming shows included New Orleans, Raleigh, Daytona Beach, Charlotte and Boston before the tour headed for Europe.
Hawkins' final concert was March 20 at a festival in San Isidro, Argentina. The cause of his death is still under investigation, but Colombian authorities said toxicological tests preliminarily found 10 psychoactive substances and medicines
After Grohl, Hawkins was the most recognizable member of the group, appearing alongside the lead singer in interviews and playing prominent, usually comic, roles in the band's memorable videos and their recent horror-comedy film, “Studio 666.”
In Grohl’s 2021 book “The Storyteller,” he called Hawkins his “brother from another mother, my best friend, a man for whom I would take a bullet."
“Upon first meeting, our bond was immediate, and we grew closer with every day, every song, every note that we ever played together,” Grohl wrote. “We are absolutely meant to be, and I am grateful that we found each other in this lifetime.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.