The rock band used a livestream, which was previewing their next studio album, to announce the news to fans.

Freese has been performing with the band at tribute concerts to Hawkins as part of a career which has also seen him play drums for Sting, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer and Guns N' Roses.

The 50-year-old American, who is the son of tuba soloist Stan Freese, was unveiled after lead singer Dave Grohl and the rest of the band teased his identity as part of their Preparing Music For Concerts livestream.

Following appearances by Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Motley Crue's Tommy Lee, Freese interrupted proceedings to ask from behind his drum kit whether the band could "just, like, play a song"?

An eight-song set then featured tracks from their 11th album, But Here We Are, which will be released at the beginning of June.

Freese's next performance with the Foo Fighters will be in New Hampshire on Wednesday to launch a series of dates which continue through to the autumn.

Hawkins, 50, had been touring South America with the rest of the band when he died in a hotel room in the Colombian capital, Bogota, in March 2022.

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Hawkins joined the Foo Fighters in 1997, picking up the sticks behind former Nirvana drummer Grohl, after previously touring with Alanis Morissette.

Last September, the Foo Fighters put on two star-studded gigs in London and Los Angeles to raise money for charity in memory of their "beloved brother".