Taylor Hawkins’ passing shocked many as nobody expected such a tragedy. Thus, announcing the sad news was a difficult thing to do. Speaking to Variety, Foo Fighters’ publicity firm Nasty Little Man’s Steve Martin recalled the process and admitted it was pretty hard for him to announce Hawkins’ passing as it was a delicate procedure.
“It’s hard to say,” said the publicist when asked how he handled Taylor Hawkins’ death. “Unfortunately, in the last ten years, I’ve had to write confirmations of an artist’s passing three times: Adam Yauch in 2012, Bowie in 2016, and Taylor earlier this year. The first step is getting the right tone when writing that statement. I don’t know how I do it because it has always been done in shock. It’s a blessing and a curse that I’ve seemed to get right in all three situations.”
Martin revealed Hawkins’ was a particular case, saying, “With Taylor, it was more sensitive because there were a lot of details coming out from the Colombian media. There was a lot of second-hand talk in another magazine story, with people relaying things Taylor might have actually said but should have been left to friends talking amongst friends. Managing that and trying to make it cause as little pain as possible was a really delicate procedure.”
He continued, “It was really rough: I’m very pragmatic about who amongst the clients becomes an actual friend, but Taylor was one. If the band didn’t work for four or five weeks and we had no contact, he’d call me to say, ‘What’s up?’ He did that with many people he considered friends, which I didn’t really learn until after he died.”
The publicist also added, “He had so much energy and positivity to share. He didn’t have to do that: He played drums full-time in one of the biggest bands in the world, had all his side projects and session work, and was helping to raise three kids. He somehow found the time to brighten many people’s days with these morning calls about a U2 b-side or something.”
So, Steve Martin also confirmed that Taylor Hawkins was a person who brightened everyone’s days with his smile and positive energy. He greatly impacted many artists who paid tribute to him posthumously during the star-studded Taylor Hawkins Tribute Show. So, it’s no surprise the drummer’s untimely passing on March 25 was difficult to announce for Martin.
