Foo Fighters said Saturday the band will carry on without drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died last March.
“As we say goodbye to the most difficult and tragic year that our band has ever known, we are reminded of how thankful we are for the people that we love and cherish most, and for the loved ones who are no longer with us,” read a message to fans shared on social media.
“Without Taylor, we never would have become the band that we were – and without Taylor, we know that we’re going to be a different band going forward.”
This is the first public acknowledgment by Foo Fighters that the band will continue. They cancelled all remaining performances following Hawkins’ death but performed with special guests at several tribute concerts.
“We also know that you, the fans, meant as much to Taylor as he meant to you. And we know that when we see you again – and we will soon – he’ll be there in spirit with all of us every night.”
Hawkins, who joined Foo Fighters in 1997, was found dead in his room at the Four Seasons Casa Medina in Bogotá, Colombia while the band was on tour. He was 50.
“For those of you who knew him personally, you know that no one else could make you smile, or laugh, or dance, or sing like he could,” Grohl told the crowd at a tribute concert in London’s Wembley Stadium in September. “And for those of you who admired him from afar, I’m sure you’ve all felt the same thing.”
Foo Fighters' most recent studio album was 2021's Medicine at Midnight.