Taylor Hawkins' Friends Say He Desperately Wanted A Break From Touring

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Taylor Hawkins was reportedly burned out by the Foo Fighters' relentless touring schedule prior to his tragic death this past March.

Friends of the late-drummer tell Rolling Stone that Hawkins complained to them about the Foo Fighters' busy travel schedule.

"He told me that he 'couldn't f---ing do it anymore' — those were his words," Pearl Jam/Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron told the magazine.

Cameron added that he believes Hawkins was forthright with Dave Grohl about his exhaustion. The two came "to some understanding, but it just seems like the touring schedule got even crazier after that."

"He tried to keep up," Cameron said. "He just did whatever it took to keep up, and in the end he couldn't keep up."

Another longtime Hawkins friend, Canadian singer Sass Jordan, said the Foos drummer was "so tired" of being on the road and conceded that looking at his touring schedule gave him "anxiety."

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith recalled an incident where Hawkins was rumored to have passed out during a flight last December.

"He just said he was exhausted and collapsed, and they had to pump him full of IVs and stuff," he said.

Smith also was under the impression that Hawkins had a "heart-to-heart" with Grohl on the topic of the Foos' schedule, but a representative for the band denied that any such meeting occurred.

The rep insisted that Hawkins "never informed Dave and [management]" that he was burned out by the band's schedule.

Hawkins' official cause of death has not yet been announced. Early reports indicated that he died of a fatal overdose, with a number of prescription drugs in his system.

Foo Fighters played 44 shows in 2021 and had 46 shows announced for 2022. Hawkins died hours after the Foos' sixth show of the year.


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