Lord of the Dance
Liam Gallagher dedicates Live Forever to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins
Entertainment

Liam Gallagher dedicates Live Forever to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins

SINGER Liam Gallagher rounded off his show at London's Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night by paying tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

The singer dedicated Live Forever to Hawkins, whose death was announced on Saturday.

Addressing the crowd in London, Gallagher said: "We dedicate this last song to the one and only Taylor fucking Hawkins, who sadly passed away."

He added: "This is for you, brother."

Gallagher then performed the Oasis hit against the backdrop of a huge picture of Hawkins.

On Twitter, the second-generation Irishman expressed his shock at the passing of the drummer, who was aged 50.

"Absolutely devastated to hear the sad news about Taylor Hawkins, my thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends RIP brother LG x," he wrote.

Hawkins died at a hotel in Bogota, Columbia, where the Foo Fighters were due to play this weekend.

The Bogota municipal government said an ambulance was sent on Friday night to the hotel where the band were staying, after a man had reported having chest pains.

A fan lights a candle at a memorial outside of the Bogota hotel where Hawkins passed away (Image: DANIEL MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Paramedics were unable to revive the man and he was declared dead.

The BBC reports that toxicology tests revealed traces of 10 substances in Hawkins' body, including opioids, marijuana and antidepressants.

It added that the cause of death remains unknown and that investigators did not say if the mix of drugs was a factor.

'Changed the face of drumming''

Taylor had been a member of Foo Fighters since 1997, joining ahead of the release of the band's second album as a replacement for the departed William Goldsmith.

Announcing his death on Saturday, the band said: "His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever.

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

Co. Down rockers Ash were among the acts to pay tribute to Hawkins, saying he 'changed the face of drumming'.

"Taylor was just an absolute ball of love and energy the few times we were lucky to meet him," they wrote on Twitter.

"His personality is written all over his playing. He lived for it every minute and changed the face of drumming for two decades.

"One of the finest musicians and humans I'll ever meet."

Seattle band Pearl Jam said Hawkins 'brought so much joy to the world of music', while Ozzy Osbourne described him as 'a great person and an amazing musician'.