According to reports, Peart died on 7 January in Santa Monica, California, three years after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Elliot Mintz, a spokesperson for the Peart family, confirmed the news to Rolling Stone.
Peart, who retired from Rush and professional drumming in 2015, was considered as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, known for his virtuosic playing and lyrics that drew on science fiction books and the works of Ayn Rand.
(I HAVE SEEN THIS CLAIM BEFORE ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF AYN RAND LISTEN TO THEIR SONG THE WORKINGMAN AND SEE IF THAT SOUNDS LIKE AYN RAND TO YOU, IT IS THE SCIENCE FICTION ASPECT OF RAND, YES SHE HAS AN SF CULT FOLLOWING, AND RUSH HAD A CLASSICAL LIBERAL INTERPRETATION OF LIBERTARIANISM, VERY CANADIAN, EH )
According to the Detroit Free Press, he dominated the annual “best-of” polls in Modern Drummer so often during the Eighties that he was eventually removed and placed on a special honour roll, instead.
The Canadian musician, who grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario, joined Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson in Rush in 1974. He wrote several books about his life, including the memoir Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times.
Rush released 19 studio albums and have sold more than 40 million units worldwide. The band rank third, after The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, for most consecutive gold or platinum albums by a rock band.
Former Police drummer Stewart Copeland said of Peart in 2015: “Neil is the most air-drummed-to drummer of all time. [He] pushes that band, which has a lot of musicality, a lot of ideas crammed into every eight bars – but he keeps the throb, which is the important thing. And he can do that while doing all kinds of cool s**t.”
Peart first retired from Rush in the late Nineties, following the death of his daughter, Selena, in a car crash, and after losing his first wife, Jacqueline, to cancer.
His second wife Carrie Nuttall, whom he married in 2000, persuaded him to return to the band, which led to something of a career renaissance for Rush.
In 2013, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The ceremony included a tribute performance by the Foo Fighters, who wore wigs and flowing satin robes similar to what Rush’s members wore in the Seventies. Foos’ frontman Dave Grohl said he cried after meeting Peart for the first time.
“The highest possible compliment is if someone that you admire respects your work,” Peart said in 2017. “To those that have said I inspired them to start drumming, the first thing I say is: ‘I apologise to your parents.’ But it’s wonderful just to be a little part of someone’s life like that.”
In a statement, Lee and Lifeson called Peart their “friend, soul brother and bandmate over 45 years” and said he had been “incredibly brave” in dealing with an aggressive form of brain cancer.
“We ask that friends, fans, and media alike understandably respect the family’s need for privacy and peace at this extremely painful and difficult time,” they said. “Those wishing to express their condolences can choose a cancer research group or charity of their choice and make a donation in Neil Peart’s name. Rest in peace, brother.”
Brian Wilson tweeted: “I feel real bad about this - he was way too young. Neil was one of the great drummers and he’ll be missed.”
Peart is survived by his wife, Carrie, and his 10-year-old daughter, Olivia.
---30---
Neil Peart, drummer and primary lyricist for Rush,
dead at 67
Canadian rock icon died earlier this week after years-long battle with brain cancer
GREAT INTERVIEWS
Jessica Wong · CBC News · Posted: Jan 10, 2020 3:58 PM ET | Last Updated: 8 hours ago
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The influential musician, author and lyricist died Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif., after having been diagnosed with brain cancer, according to a statement by a family spokesperson.
Neil Peart, the virtuoso drummer of iconic Canadian band Rush who was revered by fans and fellow musicians as one of the greatest drummers of all time, has died at age 67.
The influential musician and lyricist died Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif., after having been diagnosed with brain cancer, according to a statement issued Friday by family spokesperson Elliot Mintz.
His death was confirmed by Meg Symsyk, a media spokesperson for the progressive rock trio comprising Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.
"It is with broken hearts and the deepest sadness that we must share the terrible news that on Tuesday our friend, soul brother and bandmate of over 45 years, Neil, has lost his incredibly brave three-and-a-half-year battle with brain cancer," his bandmates said in a statement.
They also called for privacy for Peart's family and urged fans wanting to express their condolences to make a donation in his name to a cancer research group or charity of their choice.
"Rest in peace, brother."
Rush members Neil Peart, from left, Alex Lifeson and
Geddy Lee were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in 2013.
(Danny Moloshok/Invision/The Associated Press/The Canadian Press)
Along with penning impressive lyrics, Peart was renowned for his remarkable proficiency on drums (he famously employed a complex drum kit that completely surrounded him) and expertly weaving together techniques from different musical genres, blending jazz and big band with hard rock.
After the Hamilton, Ont.-born, St. Catharines, Ont.-raised Peart joined bandmates Lee and Lifeson in 1974, his virtuoso drumming helped lift Rush to new musical heights.
The band attracted a loyal, worldwide fanbase, sold millions of records and influenced a multitude of rock musicians with its complex, literary music.
Watch: Legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart performs solo
Legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart performs solo
Neil Peart, the late drummer for Canadian rock band Rush, performs a drum solo. 0:45
The band was much honoured at home, including with an induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994, Canada's Walk of Fame in 1999; a lifetime achievement honour at the 2012 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards; and an Order of Canada — the first time that a group was chosen to receive the honour.
The trio was inducted into the U.S. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, after years of lobbying by devoted fans.
The band played its last tour in 2015, with Peart revealing the following year in the Rush documentary Time Stand Still that he had fought intense physical pain during that final run.
Watch: Peart on the early days of Rush
Neil Peart on the early days
Neil Peart reflects on Rush's early days in this 2014 interview with CBC Music. 1:05
Peart's writing also extended beyond music: He penned a number of memoirs exploring his life and travels, including Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road, in which he opened up about the death in 1997 of his 19-year-old daughter, Selena, in a car accident and his wife, Jackie, who died of cancer just 10 months later.
His survivors include his wife Carrie and daughter Olivia. Funeral plans are pending.
Along with penning impressive lyrics, Peart was renowned for his remarkable proficiency on drums (he famously employed a complex drum kit that completely surrounded him) and expertly weaving together techniques from different musical genres, blending jazz and big band with hard rock.
After the Hamilton, Ont.-born, St. Catharines, Ont.-raised Peart joined bandmates Lee and Lifeson in 1974, his virtuoso drumming helped lift Rush to new musical heights.
The band attracted a loyal, worldwide fanbase, sold millions of records and influenced a multitude of rock musicians with its complex, literary music.
Watch: Legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart performs solo
Legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart performs solo
Neil Peart, the late drummer for Canadian rock band Rush, performs a drum solo. 0:45
The band was much honoured at home, including with an induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994, Canada's Walk of Fame in 1999; a lifetime achievement honour at the 2012 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards; and an Order of Canada — the first time that a group was chosen to receive the honour.
The trio was inducted into the U.S. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, after years of lobbying by devoted fans.
The band played its last tour in 2015, with Peart revealing the following year in the Rush documentary Time Stand Still that he had fought intense physical pain during that final run.
Watch: Peart on the early days of Rush
Neil Peart on the early days
Neil Peart reflects on Rush's early days in this 2014 interview with CBC Music. 1:05
Peart's writing also extended beyond music: He penned a number of memoirs exploring his life and travels, including Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road, in which he opened up about the death in 1997 of his 19-year-old daughter, Selena, in a car accident and his wife, Jackie, who died of cancer just 10 months later.
His survivors include his wife Carrie and daughter Olivia. Funeral plans are pending.
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