Chad Smith Dedicates RHCP’s Global Icon Award To Taylor Hawkins
The Red Hot Chili Peppers celebrated the VMA Global Icon Award with their performances of ‘Black Summer’ and ‘Can’t Stop.’ Chad Smith gave an emotional speech to honor the late Foo Fighters icon, Taylor Hawkins.
Taylor Hawkins had been a member of Foo Fighters since 1997. In addition to performing the drumming duties on the Foo Fighters recordings, he also provided vocals and played the guitar and the piano. He has also co-written every album since the band’s third studio record, ‘There Is Left to Lose.’
Unfortunately, the drummer tragically passed away at 50 on March 25, 2022, in Bogota, Colombia, while touring South America with the Foo Fighters. Authorities claimed that he suffered from chest pain, and even though emergency services quickly arrived, Hawkins did not respond to immediate aid. Taylor Hawkins’ tragic death deeply saddened the music world and the hearts of millions of fans, and many artists paid an emotional tribute to the iconic drummer.
One of the bands that didn’t forget to honor Hawkins was the Red Hot Chili Peppers during their VMA’s Global Icon Award acceptance speech. After receiving the award, Chad Smith dedicated it to their late brother Taylor Hawkins and his family. He said that Hawkins is a global icon and that he loves and misses him daily.
Chad Smith’s words after receiving the 2021 Global Icon Award:
“There’s another musical icon — global icon — and his name is my brother Taylor Hawkins. And I want to dedicate this to Taylor and his family — I love them and miss him every day. Fly on, Hawk.”
You can watch RHCP’s 2022 VMAs performance below.