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Foo Fighters say they will continue as a “different band going forward” following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.
The Dave Grohl-fronted rock band took to social media on New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31) to share a heartfelt message about the challenges of 2022 and offer a glimpse into what the future may hold for the group.
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“As we say goodbye to the most difficult and tragic year that our band has ever known, we are reminded of how thankful we are for the people that we love and cherish most, and for the loved ones who are no longer with us,” the Foos began their statement on Twitter.
“Foo Fighters were formed 27 years ago to represent the healing power of music and a continuation of life. And for the past 27 years out fans have built a worldwide community, a devoted support system that has helped us all get through the darkest of times together. A place to share our joy and our pain, our hopes and fears, and to join in a chorus of life together through music. Without Taylor, we never would have become the band that we were – and without Taylor, we know that we’re going to be a different band going forward.”
The band continued, “We also know that you, the fans, meant as much to Taylor as he meant to you. And we know that when we see you again – and we will soon – he’ll be there in spirit with all of us every night.”
In late March, the beloved Foos drummer was found dead in his Bogotá, Colombia, hotel room. He was 50. Hawkins’ death was announced through a social media statement from the band’s accounts, with no immediate cause of death given.
“The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins,” the statement read. “His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever.”
Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997 following the departure of original drummer William Goldsmith. Hawkins had previously enjoyed a stint playing in Alanis Morissette’s band on a tour supporting her juggernaut Jagged Little Pill album. His first album with the Foos was the multi-platinum success The Colour and the Shape.
In the months following Hawkins’ death, Foo Fighters staged a pair of all-star tribute concerts in memory of the late drummer. The shows, which took place in London and Los Angeles, featured appearances by Travis Barker, Paul McCartney, Miley Cyrus, Liam Gallagher, Lars Ulrich, and dozens more.
Read Foo Fighters’ full 2022 year-end post on Twitter below.
Stanley Mills, a former music publisher who served on the boards of the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and the Harry Fox Agency, has died at the age of 91.
Mills, the son of Mills Music Publishing Company founder Jack Mills, died on Thursday (Dec. 29) at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. A cause of death was not provided.
Mills was born on Feb. 18, 1931. He began his career by working for his father at Mills Music. He remained with the company after it was sold to EMI Music Publishing in 1964. Two years later, he joined E.B. Marks (now Carlin America). In 1968, with the urging of his songwriter friends, Mills founded September Music and Galahad Music, representing many influential songs at the time, including “Cara Mia,” “Hands Up,” “My Melody of Love,” and the “Chicken Dance.”
Mills sold both September Music and Galahad Music to Memory Lane Music in 2015.
He is survived by his sons, Kenneth Mills and Mitchell Mills; nephews, Joshua Mills and Peter Alpert; and five grandchildren. Services will be private.
Paul McCartney, Jennifer Hudson, Barbra Streisand and Paris Hilton are among the numerous musicians and celebrities remembering Barbara Walters, who died on Friday (Dec. 30) at the age of 93.
“A true trailblazer and icon!” Hudson tweeted alongside a photo of herself with Walters. “She lived a full life and leaves behind such a powerful legacy. Rest in peace, Barbara Walters.”
During her iconic career, the trailblazing broadcast journalist became the first female co-host of the Today show, the first evening news anchorwoman, and a co-creator/co-host of The View.
McCartney, whose wife Nancy Shevell is cousins with Walters, also shared a message on social media honoring the late broadcast legend.
“Nancy and I are so saddened by the news of her dear cousin Barbara Walters’ passing. The two of them enjoyed a deep loving relationship over many years and I was proud to share some of those special moments,” the former Beatles member tweeted. “Barbara was an amazing woman who more than held her own in the early days of male-dominated television and went on to become a worldwide celebrity known for her many perceptive interviews with stars from every walk of life. We will miss her but always remember her with great fondness.”
Hilton, who recently promised new music in the coming year, took to Twitter to honor the legendary journalist. “Sad hear the news about Barbara Walters,” the heiress wrote. “Always loved interviewing with her. She was always kind. Such a trailblazer and icon. Sending my condolences to her family and loved ones. Rest In Peace.”
Walters’ death was announced Friday night by ABC News. Further details about her passing were not immediately available at press time.
See more celebrity reactions to Walters’ death below.
A woman who alleges Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1986 sued the comedian-actor, NBCUniversal and other companies Friday (Dec. 30) in New York, where five other women filed a similar lawsuit earlier this month.
Stacey Pinkerton says she was a 21-year-old flight attendant and model that year when she claims Cosby drugged her at a restaurant in Illinois and took her back to a hotel room in Chicago. The lawsuit alleges Cosby “engaged in forced sexual intercourse” with her while she was incapacitated from the drugs.
The lawsuit comes more than a year after Cosby left prison after his 2018 sexual assault conviction in Pennsylvania was overturned. Earlier this year, a Los Angeles jury awarded $500,000 to a woman who said Cosby sexually abused her at the Playboy Mansion when she was a teenager in 1975.
Pinkerton says the alleged assault came after she had met Cosby in New York and he promised to help her career. She says she had a role in an episode of The Cosby Show on NBC, but did not appear in the final edit.
Months after the alleged assault, Pinkerton said Cosby invited her to his show at a Chicago theater, where she claims he forcefully kissed and touched her.
“Cosby engaged in the same or similar pattern of conduct with his victims,” Pinkerton’s lawsuit says, “including expressing interest in advancing their careers, giving them roles on The Cosby Show, using The Cosby Show and its filming locations as a means to access, isolate, sexually harass, and sexually assault women, using drugs to incapacitate his victims, and forcibly engaging in sexual acts with them without their consent.”
The lawsuit alleges that NBC, Kaufman Astoria Studios and Carsey-Werner Television should have known Cosby was a danger to women and failed to protect Pinkerton from him.
Cosby spokesperson Andrew Wyatt said Friday night that Cosby “continues to vehemently deny all allegations waged against him and looks forward to defending himself in court.”
“As we have always stated, and now America can see, this isn’t about justice for victims of alleged sexual assault, it’s ALL ABOUT MONEY,” Wyatt wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “We believe that the courts, as well as the court of public opinion, will follow the rules of law and relieve Mr. Cosby of these alleged accusations.”
Representatives of NBCUniversal, Kaufman Astoria Studios and Carsey-Werner Television did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday night. All three companies were involved in the production of The Cosby Show,” Pinkerton’s lawsuit said.
The lawsuits by Pinkerton and the five other women were filed under New York’s one-year window for adults to file sexual abuse complaints for allegations that had fallen outside the statute of limitations to sue.
Cosby served nearly three years in prison before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction, finding that he gave incriminating testimony in a deposition about the encounter only after believing he had immunity from prosecution. The trial judge and an intermediate appeals court had found no evidence of such immunity.
Seven other accusers received a settlement from Cosby’s insurers in the wake of the Pennsylvania conviction over a defamation lawsuit they had filed in Massachusetts. Their lawsuit said that Cosby and his agents disparaged them in denying their allegations of abuse.
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Queen guitarist Brian May and record producer Robin Millar top the list of music industry professionals recognized in the King’s 2023 New Year Honours List, an annual tradition celebrating the achievements and service of exceptional individuals from across the United Kingdom.
Brian May, who co-founded British rock band Queen in 1970 and continues to tour and record with the group, receives a knighthood for services to music and his charity work. May was previously made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2005.
Becoming a knight or a dame is one of the highest-ranking awards in the British honours system, followed by CBE, and then Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). A knighthood or damehood entitles recipients to use the title of sir or dame if they wish to do so.
Record producer and businessman Millar is also made a knight for services to music and charity in King Charles’ first New Year Honours List, announced Friday (Dec. 30).
Best known for his work with Sade, Millar produced and arranged the band’s multi-million selling 1984 debut Diamond Life and its acclaimed follow-up Promise, which topped the Billboard 200 for two weeks in February 1986. Other artists that Millar has produced include Randy Crawford, Everything But The Girl, Fine Young Cannibals and Big Country.
In 2014, Millar and Jeremy Lascelles co-founded Blue Raincoat Music, an artist management company, music publishing company and record label that runs offices in London, New York and Los Angeles. Blue Raincoat purchased Chrysalis Records in 2016, relaunching the imprint as a frontline label four years later.
Millar, who has been registered blind since the age of 16 and is chair of U.K. disability charity Scope, serves as executive group chairman and chief creative officer of Blue Raincoat Chrysalis Group.
Other music professionals recognized in the 2023 New Year Honours List include Geoff Taylor, outgoing chief executive of U.K. labels trade body BPI, and BPI chair Yolanda Brown.
Taylor, who exits the London-based organization Saturday (Dec. 31) after 15 years as chief executive, is awarded an MBE in recognition of his services to music. In a statement Taylor said the honour “means a great deal to me” and dedicated the award to the “whole BPI team, who work every day to protect and value music.”
Brown, who was appointed BPI chair in July, has been awarded an OBE for services to music, music education and broadcasting.
The same title is bestowed upon Peter Leathem, CEO of U.K. collecting society PPL since 2012. In a statement, Leathem called being awarded an OBE for his services to the music industry “an enormous honour.”
Other music honourees include composer George Fenton, who receives a CBE award.
In total, 1,107 people are recognized on the 2023 New Year Honours List, spanning all walks of life. The awarding of honours is overseen by the U.K. Cabinet Office with nominations submitted by either government departments or members of the public. A selection committee then produces a list of honourees, which is submitted to the British monarch, King Charles, for approval.
