Foo Fighters announce new drummer following death of late Taylor Hawkins

Foo Fighters have confirmed that Josh Freese is their new drummer, with him following in the footsteps of the late Taylor Hawkins who had previously held that position.

The latest addition to the line-up was announced during a livestream event on Sunday afternoon (May 21), which featured the band previewing their upcoming album.

It's understood to have been announced during the broadcast that Josh, 50 - who was rumoured to be joining the band - had been unveiled as Foo Fighter's new drummer.

His involvement comes following the death of drummer Taylor last year. He'd been a member of Foo Fighters since 1997 and had recorded eight albums as part of the band.

Josh Freese is understood to have been announced as Foo Fighter's new drummer in a livestream event (Veeps/ Foofighters)

Billboard reports that Josh - who had performed with Foo Fighters in tribute concerts for Taylor last year - was introduced as the band's new drummer in the livestream.

Josh has previously worked with bands like Guns N' Roses, Weezer and Nine Inch Nails in his music career. He's also toured in the past with acts including Paramore and Sting.

He now joins Dave Grohl, 54, Nate Mendel, 54, Pat Smear, 63, Chris Shiflett, 52, and Rami Jaffee, 54, in Foo Fighters - which celebrates its 30th anniversary of forming next year.

He joins the band following the death of its longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins last year (Getty Images)

Lead vocalist Dave has played drums over the years, though former bandmate William Goldsmith, 50, and his late successor Taylor are known for having been the drummers.

The band are set to release their upcoming album But Here We Are next month. It will be their first studio album since the death of their former drummer Taylor last year.

The project - which is their eleventh studio album, following their self-titled debut in 1995 - features the two singles Rescued and Under You, as well as several other songs.

Taylor had been in the band alongside (from second on the left to far right) Rami Jaffee, Dave Grohl, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett and Nate Mendel (Getty Images for FF)

Foo Fighters are set to perform on tour next week, with them scheduled to be touring for the next few months - including visiting venues in cities like Boston and Austin.

The rock band - who have won several Grammy Awards and Brit Awards over the course of the last two decades - are best known for singles like This Is a Call and Best of You.

Their self-titled debut album was released in 1995 and they later topped the charts with albums such as Wasting Light in 2011 and more recently Concrete and Gold in 2017.

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