Taylor Hawkins, the fierce drummer for the iconic Foo Fighters rock band, died at age 50 over the weekend, according to a statement from the group. No cause of death has been released, and no other details were immediately available. The Foo Fighters were on tour in South America and were scheduled to play in Bogotá, Colombia, on Friday night at the Festival Estéreo Picnic when Hawkins’ death was announced.

A statement from the band said, “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.” Hawkins had played with the Foo Fighters since 1997 alongside front man and founder of the band Dave Grohl, who was the drummer for Nirvana before Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994.

Born Oliver Taylor Hawkins in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1972, Hawkins was raised in Laguna Beach, California. He played in the small Southern California band Sylvia before landing his first major gig as a drummer for Canadian singer Sass Jordan. Hawkins told The Associated Press in 2019 that his early drumming influences included Stewart Copeland of The Police, Roger Taylor from Queen, and Phil Collins, who he said was “one of my favorite drummers ever. You know, people forget that he was a great drummer as well as a sweater-wearing nice guy from the ’80s, poor fella.”

Before joining the Foo Fighters, Hawkins performed with Alanis Morissette and can be heard on her chart-topping 1995 album, “Jagged Little Pill.” He also appeared in music videos for the singer’s hit singles “You Oughta Know” and “You Learn.” Hawkins was the Foo Fighters’ drummer starting with the band’s third album, “There Is Nothing Left to Lose,” released in 1999, and performed in the group’s following seven albums.

Bassist Nate Mendel said last year in an interview with Rolling Stone that Hawkins came into a band that was “pretty scrappy, in general, and kind of acclimated to that for a second, and then was like, ‘Hang on a second, what if we become good?’”Grohl called Hawkins his “best friend and partner in crime” in his 2021 autobiography, “The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music.”

Hawkins’ death quickly drew heartfelt tributes from scores of musicians. Fans were devastated. Travis Barker recalled Hawkins’ encouragement when he was struggling in Laguna Beach. “I thought you were crazy, but you gave me so much hope and determination,” Barker wrote on Instagram. Rock legend Elton John on Saturday praised Hawkins as “one of the nicest people and one of the greatest drummers and a true musician.” Heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne hailed Hawkins as a “great person and an amazing musician.”

Rage Against the Machine frontman Tom Morello hailed Hawkins’ “unstoppable rock power.” Paul Stanley of Kiss said he was “speechless and gutted” by the news. The Foo Fighters were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and have won 12 Grammy Awards. Hawkins is survived by his wife, Alison, and their three children.