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Steve Martin, the founder of respected US music PR firm Nasty Little Man, opens up about the "delicate procedure" of announcing the passing of Taylor Hawkins earlier this year

Bands & Artists Foo Fighters' publicist discusses the challenges faced in announcing Taylor Hawkins' death News By Liz Scarlett ( Classic Rock ) published 19 December 2022 Steve Martin, the founder of respected US music PR firm Nasty Little Man, opens up about the "delicate procedure" of announcing the passing of Taylor Hawkins earlier this year When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Robert Knight Archive/Redferns) Share Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Steve Martin, the founder of US-based publicity company Nasty Little Man, has opened up about the experience of announcing the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.Over the years, Martin's firm has worked with a number of legendary artists, including Paul McCartney, Metallica, Gorillaz, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, U2, Radiohead, Beastie Boys, and Nine Inch Nails, among others.Speaking to Variety about his career, Martin explains, "Unfortunately, in the last 10 years, I've had to write confirmations of an artist's passing three times". The deaths Martin is referring to are the passing of David Bowie in 2016, Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch in 2012 and Hawkins earlier this year, the drummer having been found dead in his Bogota hotel room on March 25.Latest Videos From LouderOf the difficulties surrounding the process of announcing Hawkins' passing, he continues, "With Taylor, it was more sensitive, because there were a lot of details coming out from the Colombian media."There was a lot of second-hand talk in another magazine story, with people relaying things Taylor might have actually said but should have been left to friends talking amongst friends. Managing that, and trying to make it cause as little pain as possible, was a really delicate procedure."Martin also goes on to say how working on Hawkins' death announcement was especially difficult due to their friendship, making it much more of a personal issue."It was really rough: I’m very pragmatic about who amongst the clients becomes an actual friend, but Taylor was one," the publicist says. "If the band didn’t work for four or five weeks and we didn’t have any contact, he’d call me just to say 'What’s up?' He did that with a lot of people he considered friends, which I didn’t really learn until after he died. Classic Rock NewsletterSign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over."He had so much energy and positivity to share. He didn’t have to do that: He played drums full-time in one of the biggest bands in the world, had all his side projects and session work, and was helping to raise three kids. He somehow found the time to brighten so many people’s days with these morning calls about a U2 B-side or something."Noting how it's vital to use an appropriate cadence when making such important announcements, Martin adds: "The first step is getting the right tone when you’re writing that statement. I don’t know how I do it, because it has always been done in a state of shock. It’s a blessing and a curse that I’ve seemed to get it right in all three of those situations." Artists Taylor Hawkins Foo Fighters Liz ScarlettSocial Links NavigationContent EditorLiz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music. 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