Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has died age 50

Foo Fighters has announced drummer Taylor Hawkins has died.

A statement from the band reads: “The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins.

“His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever.

“Our hearts go out to this wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time.”

The band are currently on tour in South America, where Hawkins was found unresponsive in a hotel room in Bogota, Colombia. No cause of death has been confirmed.

Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997 shortly after the release of the band’s second album ‘The Colour and the Shape’, and was a crucial influence in their growth to mainstream success over the past 25 years.

Last year the band temporarily rebranded as The Dee Gees to release a disco album of Bee Gees covers called ‘Hail Satin’ for Record Store Day.

They were also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside Kraftwerk.

Artists such as Ringo Starr and Liam Gallagher have shared tributes to Hawkins online.