Queen drummer Roger Taylor said this week he is dedicating his Order of the British Empire (OBE) to a fellow drummer – the late Taylor Hawkins.
“We’re still so upset about it and completely devastated,” Taylor, 72, said of Hawkins’ sudden death last Friday in Colombia. “My whole family and his whole family were very close. He was, as my wife called him, sunshine in human form.
“He was the most wonderful man and I can’t quite believe that I’m not going to see him again.”
Taylor said Hawkins “sort of mentored” his son Rufus, drummer for The Darkness.
At a Foo Fighters concert in 2019, Hawkins sang on a cover of Queen’s “Under Pressure” while Taylor guested on drums. Hawkins also lent his voice to the 2008 Queen + Paul Rodgers track “C-lebrity.”
Taylor received an OBE from Prince Charles at a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. He was named to the honour in December 2019.
Hawkins died at 50 while on tour with his band Foo Fighters. Among those paying tribute on social media was Queen's Brian May, who wrote: "No. It cannot be. Heartbroken. Taylor, you were family to us. Our friend, our brother, our beloved child. Bless you. We will miss you so bad."