Jo Whiley held back tears as she paid tribute to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins in a special BBC Sounds episode released on Tuesday.
The Radio 2 presenter, 56, looked back at some of the memories she shared with Taylor after he was tragically found dead aged 50 on Friday at a luxury hotel in the north of the Colombian capital Bogota, having suffered a suspected heart attack.
Jo described the musician as 'sunshine on skinny legs' as she listened to her interviews with the musician which saw him talk about his close friendship with Liam Gallagher, preferring to have a barbecue over a wild party and touring the world.
"More than anything, I will always remember his enormous dazzling smile. His skinny, skinny frame and this dazzling smile," she said.
"I've said before sunshine on skinny legs, that sums him up to me. Also his warmth and mischief. He was always jabbing me in the ribs and dancing around, giggling and then making everyone else collapse in giggles.
"He was also one of rock's greatest drummers. He was an electrifying percussionist. He was a musical hero and as a young kid was a music fan who got to grow up to fulfil his dream. He was also simply the sweetest. Taylor, thank you for it all. You rocked."
Alongside playing an array of Taylor's music, Jo unearthed an interview with the drummer back in 2019 when he was releasing his third Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders album, Get The Money.
During the chat, the presenter asked: "Do you throw parties?", to which Taylor replied: "I do more barbecues in California. We do listen to the odd Rock channel for the most part."
The musician went on to say while he lives among Hollywood stars, he doesn't 'have a lot of high end famous friends but a few', as he talked about his friendship with Liam Gallagher.
He told Jo: "I was in Covent Garden with my wife walked past this store and there was this picture with Liam Gallagher with his parka on and I was like "Oh My God".
"The store was closed. It was like 10pm. And I was like I have to have one."
Taylor described how he got up first thing the next morning to visit the store and admired all the different colours of the Oasis hitmaker's signature coat.
"I'm thinking I have to have one so I slap it down on the counter and she says "Oh, that's a $1,000" and I'm like 'What, seriously?', he joked.
"I never spend money on myself ever.
"So I texted Liam and said 'I've bought one of your parkas for a $1,000'. He said 'don't ever buy anything, I'll send it to you. It's my duty to make you Americans have a good sense of style and dress'.
"I said 'you send me all your Liam Gallagher stuff and I'm going to send you some board shorts because it's my duty to make you English look cool at the beach.'
"He's like 'done'."
Jo also played an interview from when Taylor was touring with the Foo Fighters and were about to take to the stage at 02 back in 2017.
He told Jo: "I've got to do three hour shows playing drums. On days off I definitely do maintenance but I try not to do too much on show days. I'm 45.
"I've started yawning before shows sometimes, because my body knows it's going to get in a three-hour musical fist fight."
Investigators have concluded Taylor suffered cardiovascular collapse after binging on a cocktail of drugs, respected Colombian news magazine Semana reported.
It also said authorities had confirmed to them the famed musician had overdosed on heroin mixed with antidepressants and benzodiazepines which are psychoactive drugs known as benzos.
Colombia’s Attorney General’s office has already confirmed an initial autopsy carried out yesterday/on Saturday revealed traces of 10 different drugs in Hawkins’ urine, including opioids which can range from heroin to fentanyl and morphine.
It also revealed in a statement marihuana and antidepressants were detected.
The alarm was raised on Friday night when the drummer complained of chest pains ahead of his band’s headline performance at the Estereo Picnic Festival in Bogota.
Efforts to revive him by a private doctor and city emergency responders failed and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Taylor leaves behind his wife Alison and children Oliver, 16, Annabelle, 13, and Everleigh, eight.
