achine Gun Kelly says he would like to speak to the children of Taylor Hawkins to tell them what a “great man” their father was.
The US rapper, who spoke to Hawkins two days before his death, said the Foo Fighters drummer was “such a beautiful soul” and that he was “lucky to know him”.
Fifty-year-old Hawkins was on the South American leg of the band’s world tour when his sudden death was announced at the weekend, after he had taken ill at his hotel in northern Bogota.
Kelly was also scheduled to play at the festival, alongside Miley Cyrus, J Balvin, Doja Cat and The Strokes.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s Howard Stern show he recalled a night he had spent with the rock band after their shows at the Estereo Picnic festival had been cancelled due to extreme weather conditions.
Kelly said he had been “super bummed” that the cancellations had meant the Foo Fighters had not been able to see his show, but that he had attended a party with them, and Hawkins, in the evening.
“Taylor went up to every single one of us and gave us each our moment,” he said.
“Every single one of us, man, down to… my assistant…It was like, dude, he’s such a beautiful soul man.
“The last thing he said was, ‘I’m just so bummed I didn’t get to see you guys play.’
“I really want to thank him and let his kids know that he made us feel — in a time where the outside world, outside of the fans, and the outside world was really coming in hard on us — he made us feel so confident in ourselves and loved.”
Kelly said the drummer was “so proud of his kids” and addressed them directly.
“Your father is a great, great man and we were all lucky to know him and we all appreciate that night more than anyone will know,” he said.
Hawkins had played in the Foos with former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl on vocals for more than two decades, alongside Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett and Rami Jaffee.
His death prompted scores of tributes from other famous artists, including Sir Paul McCartney, who described him as a “true Rock and Roll hero”.
Sir Paul, who inducted the Foo Fighters into the American Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2021, said that as well as Hawkin’s immense talent, “his personality was big and shiny and will be sorely missed by all who were lucky to live and work alongside him”.
Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997, having previously toured with Alanis Morrissette and also starred with the band in their recently released film, Studio 666.
The Foo Fighters announced they were cancelling all of their upcoming tour dates “in light of the staggering loss”.
They were also scheduled to perform at the Grammys on April 3.