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Chad Smith & Matt Cameron Comment on ‘Rolling Stone’ Taylor Hawkins Feature

UPDATE 5/17/2022 8:30 PM: Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith has issued a statement regarding quotes attributed to him in the Rolling Stone feature piece on Taylor Hawkins. Smith shared…

Matt Cameron, Taylor Hawkins and Chad Smith
Mike Coppola, Kevin Winter, Steve Jennings/Getty Images

UPDATE 5/17/2022 8:30 PM: Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith has issued a statement regarding quotes attributed to him in the Rolling Stone feature piece on Taylor Hawkins.

Smith shared the following via his Instagram:

"Taylor was one of my best friends, and I would do anything for his family. 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."

ORIGINAL STORY
Matt Cameron has issued a statement saying his quotes were taken out of context in a recently published feature from Rolling Stone titled Inside Taylor Hawkins' Final Days as a Foo Fighter.

The over-arching theme of the feature highlighted Hawkins allegedly having concerns about the Foo Fighters' touring schedule and wanting to dial back his time with the band. Cameron was one of 20 people interviewed for the feature. Among the quotes attributed to Cameron were, "[Hawkins] had a heart-to-heart with Dave [Grohl] and, yeah, he told me that he ‘couldn’t f---ing 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."

Since the publishing of the feature, the Pearl Jam drummer issued the following statement via his Instagram:

"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 had 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 [Grohl] 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."


Taylor Hawkins' sudden death at age 50 is a shock to rock fans and rock stars alike. Many have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to the late Foo Fighters drummer.

Scroll below to see some notable tributes from rock's biggest names.

Pearl Jam/Matt Cameron

Stevie Nicks

Flea

Joan Jett

Steven Tyler

Metallica

Yes

David Letterman

Lenny Kravitz

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo

Dave Navarro

Miley Cyrus

Duff McKagan

Rush/Geddy Lee

Jimmy Page

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Mick Jagger

Tony Iommi

Tommy Lee

Sammy Hagar

Lars Ulrich

Joe Perry

Axl Rose

Travis Barker

Def Leppard/Joe Elliott

Brian Wilson

Alice Cooper

Slash

Liam Gallagher

Guns N' Roses

Tom Morello

Carole King

Mike Portnoy

Matt Sorum

The Doors

Wolfgang Van Halen

Brian May

Paul Stanley

Gene Simmons

Nickelback

Rival Sons' Scott Holiday

Nathan Followill

Steve Jones

Ozzy Osbourne

Lzzy Hale

Billy Idol

Ringo Starr

Scott Ian

Geezer Butler

David Draiman

Doc Coyle

Riki Rachtman

LL Cool J

Finneas

Sheila E

Consequence of Sound

Guy Oseary

John Stamos

Richard Marx

Smashing Pumpkins

Jamey Jasta

Mark Ronson

Kaiser Chiefs

The Darkness

Kathy Valentine

Nandi Bushell

Ben Thatcher

Chris Jericho

Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights