Taylor Hawkins was so cool and iconic – Foo Fighters fans owe him a lot

That can not be. Not Taylor. Certainly not Taylor.

Taylor Hawkins was so damn cool.

Long blond hair, top/vest on, rockin’ shorts, looks like he’s eating ice cream on a California beach, but he’s actually shattering the living daylight from a drum kit for the biggest band on earth.

Just last week I wrote an article about mortality and the fragility of life. This is the worst kind of irony. I love the Foo Fighters.

I can remember exactly when I first heard one of their records.

It was at an overnight stay; Me and my buddy Shaun were staying with our friend Mike and we were watching I know what you did last summerwhich scared me so much that it put me off horror movies for life and increased my hatred of my newspaper rounds.

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To lighten the mood, Mike put on a CD. He played “Doll,” then “Monkey Wrench” and “Hey Johnny Park!” — tracks from Foo Fighters’ “The Color and the Shape” — and I couldn’t get it into my ears fast enough.

I would definitely listen to “Everlong” while dressing for school in the morning.

I swear my parents can still hear it, like some kind of phantom song that keeps playing from my bedroom.

Everything about this song is perfect for me. The soft start, the lyrics, the structure, the bass, the energy, the drums – my god, the drums!

Yes, I know Dave Grohl played drums on this album.

And yes, he is widely considered the best drummer in the world. But that made Taylor worse; He acted like it was nothing.

Their friendship felt special – their connection was almost tangible, joyful.

I had Foo Fighters posters on my wall, I bought every album, every book, every pin badge…

I even remember watching Jim Carrey Me, me & Irene and liking the movie more because “Breakout” was in the credits: “You make me dizzy, running circles in my head…”.

Without realizing it, I got up today and pulled a Foo Fighters t-shirt over my head.

They are so ingrained in my life; it was not a conscious decision, but a matter of course.

I first saw these guys up close when they headlined Reading in 2002.

They ended with “Everlong” and there were fireworks. It was one of those moments when everything in life suddenly makes sense.

I felt the same way every time I saw them – from the smaller, more intimate gigs in Cardiff to the all-consuming monster gigs at Wembley.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that Dave Grohl is my hero.

I would melt if I ever met the guy – which I almost did. For seven years I romped around at CBeebiesGet him to read the bedtime story.

It finally happened in September last year, but normally I couldn’t make it. The universe obviously wasn’t ready for me to hug a grown man while mumbling “I love you” and losing the ability to use full sentences.

I feel very fortunate that I was able to write a card and tell him what he means to me.

It was probably far more coherent than anything I could have said personally, and knowing he’d read it meant the world. For him, having a copy of his book signed with a little note was the next level.

I can’t even imagine how Dave is feeling today.

I never met Taylor. I never had to tell him or the rest of the band that their music changed my life.

It was the soundtrack when I first fell in love; it was there when loved ones died; it was there at the close; it was for road trips and vacations; it was there when I felt alone; it was there for the best and the worst parts of me.

Taylor Hawkins was truly an icon with his perpetual grin that made you happy just to look at him. And I want to say thank you man.