RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS‘ Chad Smith and SOUNDGARDEN/PEARL JAM drummer Matt Cameron have apologized to Taylor Hawkins‘ family for the comments they made about the late FOO FIGHTERS drummer to Rolling Stone.
On Monday (May 16), Rolling Stone published a report which featured claims made by numerous individuals, including Smith and Cameron, saying that in the months leading up to his death, Hawkins felt hesitant about returning to the road with FOO FIGHTERS due to an exhaustive touring schedule.
In the article, Smith confirmed to Rolling Stone that Hawkins actually lost consciousness on board a plane in Chicago last December. “He just said he was exhausted and collapsed, and they had to pump him full of IVs and stuff,” Chad, told Rolling Stone. “He was dehydrated and all kinds of stuff.” After the incident, Smith said Hawkins told him, “I can’t do it like this anymore.”
Yesterday (May 17), Smith released the following statement via social media: “Taylor was one of my best friends and I would do anything for his family. I was asking by Rolling Stone to share some memories of our time together, which I thought was going to be the loving tribute he deserved. Instead, the story they wrote was sensationalized and misleading, and had I known I never would have agreed to participate. I apologize to his family and musical friends for any pain.”
The report also included several quotes from PEARL JAM and SOUNDGARDEN drummer Matt Cameron, who told the magazine that “[Taylor] had a heart-to-heart with Dave [Grohl, FOO FIGHTERS leader] and, yeah, he told me that he ‘couldn’t fucking do it anymore’ — those were his words. So I guess they did come to some understanding, but it just seems like the touring schedule got even crazier after that,” Matt said.
Matt also released a new statement to social media, saying: “When I agreed to take part in the Rolling Stone article about Taylor, I assumed it would be a celebration of his life and work. My quotes were taken out of context and shaped into a narrative I never intended.
“Taylor was a dear friend, and a next level artist. I miss him. I have only the deepest love and respect for Taylor, Dave and the FOO FIGHTERS families.
“I am truly sorry to have taken part in this interview and I apologize that my participation may have caused harm to those for whom I have only the deepest respect and admiration.”
Cameron had told Rolling Stone that he believes Hawkins agreed to continue touring with FOO FIGHTERS to be a “team player”.
“[A band like that] is a big machine [with] a lot of people on the payroll,” Cameron said. “So you’ve got to really be cognizant of the business side of something when it’s that big and that has inherent pressure, just like any business.”
Rolling Stone says that it repeatedly asked Hawkins’s family members and bandmates for interviews for the story, but Hawkins’s family declined to comment.
Hawkins was found dead on March 25 at the Four Seasons Casa Medina hotel in Bogota, Colombia while on tour with FOO FIGHTERS. An official cause of death has yet to be officially released.
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