Machine Gun Kelly Remembers Meeting Up with Taylor Hawkins 2 Days Before His Death: 'Great Man'

The "Emo Girl" singer told Howard Stern on Wednesday that Taylor Hawkins "made us feel so confident in ourselves and loved" during the visit

By

Abigail Adams

Published on March 31, 2022 10:07 AM

Machine Gun Kelly had a fulfilling encounter with Taylor Hawkins days before the drummer's sudden death.

During a Wednesday appearance on The Howard Stern Show, the 31-year-old singer said he had been with Hawkins in Paraguay two days before he died.

While remembering the late star, Kelly recalled the immense kindness Hawkins shared with him and his band while hanging out at the Foo Fighters' hotel.

"The last thing that he had said to [my drummer was] 'I'm just so bummed I didn't get to see you guys play,'" he told host Howard Stern. "And I really want to thank him and let his kids know that he made us feel — in a time where the outside world and outside of the fans, the outside world is really coming in hard on us — and he made us feel so confident in ourselves and loved."

Kelly added, "Your father [was] a great, great man and we were all lucky to know him."

Hawkins died last Friday at age 50 after experiencing chest pains at his Bogotá hotel in Columbia, according to Columbian health officials.

Though paramedics were dispatched, attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. A preliminary urine toxicology test found 10 different substances in Hawkins' body, including THC, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids. An investigation into the cause of death is ongoing.

The interaction between the Foo Fighters and Kelly's crew came shortly after both bands' performances were canceled due to inclement weather. Kelly said his band had been eager to perform in front of the Foo Fighters as frontman Dave Grohl had promised would watch Kelly's set.

Despite the cancellation, Grohl, 53, invited Kelly and his crew to have some drinks and hang out at the Foo Fighters' hotel, to which they agreed. Kelly and about 19 other people showed up, though Kelly was a bit concerned about the size of his traveling party.

Upon exiting the elevator, however, Kelly said Hawkins went to every member of the team "and gave us each our moment" with him, down to Kelly's assistant.

Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins — Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl. Larry Busacca/Getty Images

"He's such a beautiful soul," Kelly said of Hawkins to Stern, 68, adding, "He gave his heart."

After the meet-up, Kelly said "the kids just came out" of both him and his crew. "It was like, 'This is the greatest night of our life!' " Kelly explained, noting that he and his drummer "were tripping out" over the experience.

Many other musicians have expressed grief over Hawkins' death, from Beatles drummer Ringo Starr to Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas. Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and pop star Miley Cyrus are also among them.

"I don't have the words," Barker, 46, wrote on Instagram. "Sad to write this or to never see you again."

He later added, "To say I'll miss you my friend isn't enough. Till the next time we talk drums and smoke in the boys room … Rest In Peace 😢🥁💔."

On Saturday, Cyrus, 29, dedicated her performance at Lollapalooza in Brazil to her late friend, whom she honored with a special performance of her 2020 song "Angels Like You."

In a speech remembering Hawkins, the singer tearfully recalled reaching out to the drummer after a scary flight to Paraguay during which her plane was struck by lightning."

"We had to make an emergency landing, and the first person I called was Taylor because he was already at the festival and that would have been a time that I would have gotten to see my friend and I didn't," Cyrus said, according to Entertainment Tonight and Page Six. "I would have done anything to hang out with him one more time."