Foo Fighters announce tribute concerts

American rock band Foo Fighters will play two tribute concerts for their late drummer Taylor Hawkins, taking to the stage in London and Los Angeles in September, the group has said.

Hawkins, 50, died unexpectedly in late March in a Bogota hotel during the group's South American tour, the rest of which was subsequently cancelled.

The concerts, which will take place at London's Wembley Stadium on September 3 and Los Angeles' Kia Forum on September 27, will be the first Foo Fighters live performances since Hawkins' death.

"For our dear friend, our....bandmate, our beloved brother… Foo Fighters and The Hawkins family bring you the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts," the band said in a post on Twitter, announcing the gigs. It also shared a statement from Hawkins' wife Alison, who thanked fans for their support.

In a statement, the band said the tribute concerts would also feature music artists who had inspired Hawkins, and together with the group they would perform "the songs that he fell in love with, and the ones he brought to life".

Foo Fighters was founded in 1994 by Dave Grohl, the drummer for grunge band Nirvana, following the death of Nirvana's lead singer Kurt Cobain. Hawkins joined in 1997.

The group has won 15 Grammy Awards, the last three this year shortly after Hawkins' death.