Foo Fighters Drop Boston Calling In Wake Of Drummer's Death

BOSTON — Boston Calling headliners Foo Fighters told fans they would be pulling out of the music festival and canceling all upcoming tour dates days after their drummer Taylor Hawkins died in South America.

"Following the tragic loss of beloved drummer Taylor Hawkins, Foo Fighters have canceled all upcoming shows, including their headlining performance at Boston Calling on May 27, 2022," festival organizers confirmed in a statement Tuesday. "Boston Calling extends its deepest condolences to Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins' loved ones, and his many fans around the world."

This is the second headliner to pull out of the festival, which is set to return this Memorial Day weekend after a two-year pandemic fueled hiatus. Rage Against the Machine dropped out of the lineup in early January as omicron levels continued to peak throughout the country.

Boston Calling said they will announce a new headliner alongside the Strokes and Metalica soon.

Foo Fighters informed the world of the death of the 26-time Grammy nominee and 11-time winner Friday via social media, shocking the music world and triggering a large amount of grief-fueled posts on social media.

On Sunday, authorities confirmed Hawkins had a toxic cocktail of psychoactive substances in his system when he died while on tour in Columbia Friday. According to officials in Columbia, Hawkins was taken to a hospital for reports of "chest pain" before he died. The band had been scheduled to play at a festival that night.

Health workers tried to revive him but were unable to do so. The official cause of his death is still under investigation.

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. Officials say Weezer, HAIM, Rüfüs Du Sol, Run the Jewels, Glass Animals, Avril Lavigne and many more will still be performing at Boston Calling.

"We're sorry for and share in the disappointment that we won't be seeing one another as planned," the band said in a statement. "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."