We're absolutely stunned by the loss of Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist of Rush.
It's rare to find a drummer who is also a lyricist, as most of them can't write their name, no less songs.
Neil was, as the rest of the band, Canadian. Fortunately, none of them had any of the comical Canadian accents(eh?).
To be completely honest, I wasn't a Rush fan... just an occasional listener. However I grew up with them as a background, as my brother played them all the time, forming what some would call a religion. Since my brother was a drummer, it all made sense: all drummers kneeled at the altar of Neil.
The man sure was talented, both in his inventive drumming, and his lyrics, influenced by Ayn Rand.
Rush called it quits in 2018, due to Neil's health.
Neil died of glioblastoma, which is essentially brain cancer, which he had been fighting for a few years. He was also fighting arthritis, which was just cruel.
Watch any documentary on Rush and see what a nice person he seemed to be. He liked to tour on his motorcycle, both personally and professionally. None of the band seemed to deal with fame all that well, least of all Neil.
Neil actually took lessons, learning what he could. Randy Rhodes (Ozzy) used to do this too. Neil was a huge fan of Master Drummer Buddy Rich, famous jazz drummer and bandleader.
My brother was inconsolable when he heard the news.
Didn't we like it better when rock icons died of drug overdoses instead of cancer?
RIP Neil.
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