Chad Smith and Matt Cameron apologise to Foo Fighters over Taylor Hawkins comments

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron have apologised to the Foo Fighters for comments they made about Taylor Hawkins in a recent article.

The drummers contributed to a Rolling Stone piece in which Hawkins’ friends claimed he was struggling to keep up with the Foo Fighters’ touring schedule before he died in March aged 50.

After the article was published on Tuesday, Smith and Cameron issued separate statements on social media insisting they were unaware of the angle the piece was going to take.

“Taylor was one of my best friends, and I would do anything for his family,” Smith wrote. “I was asked 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 this may have caused. I miss Taylor every day.”

Cameron stated that his quotes were “taken out of context” and shaped to fit a narrative that was different to the celebratory tribute he expected the article to be.

“Taylor was a dear friend, and a next level artist. I miss him. I have only the deepest love and respect for Taylor, Dave (Grohl) and the Foo Fighters families,” he wrote. “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.”

In Rolling Stone, Cameron claimed Hawkins told him he “couldn’t f**king do it anymore” and had a heart-to-heart with Grohl but the schedule “got even crazier”. Meanwhile, Smith discussed Hawkins allegedly losing consciousness on a plane in December 2021.

“He just said he was exhausted and collapsed, and they had to pump him full of IVs and stuff. He was dehydrated and all kinds of stuff,” Smith said in the article.

Representatives for Foo Fighters denied the plane incident and denied that Hawkins raised any touring concerns with Grohl.