Dozens of locals and Foo Fighters fans alike gathered in Long Beach Thursday to honor Taylor Hawkins, longtime Foo Fighters drummer who was found dead in his hotel room in Colombia on March 25. Hawkins, who has died suddenly aged 50 while on tour with Foo Fighters in Colombia, had been a member of the group since 1997. His first album with them was There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999), which reached the Top 10 in the US and the UK and brought them their first Grammy award (for best rock album).
Taylor was at the drumkit for seven further Foo Fighters albums, as they established themselves as one of the world’s top rock acts drawing devoted hordes of fans internationally. To date they have won 12 Grammys, and their consistently successful albums have topped the US album chart twice and the UK chart five times.