Guitarist Dave Navarro was so heartbroken by the death of his close friend, the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, that he didn't play the guitar for a year.
In a recent interview, the guitarist -- who returned to Jane's Addiction earlier this year after long COVID -- admitted that he experienced mental health issues after Hawkins' death at the age of 50 in March 2022.
Shortly before Hawkins tragically died, the two musicians, including bassist Chris Chaney, debuted their then-new band, NHC.
"I'd just completed making a record with Taylor Hawkins and Chris Chaney," Navarro told Guitar World. "We mixed and mastered it, and then we lost Taylor. That was in the middle of COVID, and it was actually very painful for me to pick up the guitar after that."
"I didn't pick up the guitar for about a year," he recalled. "He was such an inspiring artist -- not only was he a phenomenal drummer, he was an amazing songwriter and lyricist... just one of those humans that everybody loved."
Navarro shared that he did not play "for a long time" after losing Hawkins. However, around a year later, he found himself picking up his guitar and "playing some cover songs" as he tried to get used to the instrument again.
The guitarist said that studying some of his favorite musicians helped him rekindle his love for the guitar. He shared that he started studying Jay Graydon and Van Halen, and he did a lot of tone chasing and read everything about the gear he believes Eddie Van Halen used.
Navarro made his Jane's Addiction return during a show in London in May. But he was back in the studio with his old band by the time that show rolled around.
Furthermore, Navarro will join Jane's Addiction when they kick off a co-headlining North American tour with Love & Rockets. The tour will begin on Aug. 9.
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