Celebrating the best in music wouldn't be complete without honoring the best of the Foo Fighters.
On April 3, the 2022 Grammys paid tribute to band member Taylor Hawkins less than two weeks after he passed away at the age of 50 while on tour in Bogota.
"This was the moment in the show when I was supposed to be introducing the Foo Fighters," host Trevor Noah shared two hours into the live telecast. "We would have been celebrating with them as they won three Grammy awards earlier today. But they are of course not here because of the tragic passing of their legendary drummer Taylor Hawkins. Our thoughts go out to Taylor's family, his friends, the Foo Fighter family and all of their fans around the globe. We'd like to take a moment now to remember Taylor."
A video began to play on the screen, which featured Taylor performing at dozens of shows all around the world. The Grammys would then proceed with their In Memoriam segment.
The Foo Fighters were originally scheduled to perform at the Las Vegas awards show. But after Taylor's death, the rock band cancelled the remaining dates of their tour, as well as their Grammys performance.
"It is with great sadness that Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates in light of the staggering loss of our brother Taylor Hawkins," the band said in a statement on March 29. "We're sorry for and share in the disappointment that we won't be seeing one another as planned. Instead, let's take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we've made together."
The band, which consists of Dave Grohl, Pat Smear, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Rami Jaffee, was touring through South America at the time of Taylor's death. They had been expected to stop in Las Vegas to celebrate their nominations.
Before the show aired on CBS, the band learned they won Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance. The Foo Fighters have now won 15 Grammys, the most by any American band in history.
During her Grammys performance, Billie Eilish honored Taylor by wearing a shirt with his face on it. As she rounded out her performance, the Grammy winner tugged her shirt as a reminder of the rocker's death.
While Taylor's official cause of death is still unknown, a preliminary toxicology report from the Colombian Attorney General's Office revealed that the drummer had 10 substances in his system. It's unclear when final results will be shared.
Since news of his passing broke on March 25, the music industry has been celebrating Taylor's contributions on and off stage.
Prior to the Foo Fighters, Taylor had made a name for himself touring with Alanis Morissette. But after joining the rock band in 1997, Taylor proved to be a strong singer and songwriter, helping co-write many of the group's most iconic hits.
As the Foo Fighters said in a statement, "His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever."