Neil Peart – September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020
Sometimes there are people that you will never meet but have such an impact on your life, you almost feel a kinship with that person. Neil Peart was one of these people for me. Like many aspiring drummers, I spent countless hours air drumming to Rush albums and eventually put the wood on real skins. I probably can’t even count the number of times I butchered that part in Tom Sawyer. You know the part. I also know that I wasn’t the only one. Neil had such an effortless way of playing that to watch him almost had you believing you could do it too. But there was only one Neil Peart and sadly today the news broke that he was gone. He died at the age of 67.
In our society we talk a lot about legends and GOATS. Make no mistake, Neil Peart is the greatest of all time. There may have been other favorites but Neil is the best we’ve ever seen. From his epic drum solos to his ingenuity in constructing a blend of acoustic and electric drums that made for some of the most talked about drum performances ever witnessed. But his gift for music didn’t stop there. Peart was a lyrical genius that mixed fantasy and imagination with social issues. Many of the songs he wrote had an underlying theme or message. Sometimes they were just great stories. I could cite about a hundred songs here, as examples but you already know them.
As I write this I am listening to disc two of Rush Chronicles and almost find it hard to get these words down. The sound of these songs help define an era in our lifetime that is long gone but not forgotten. I mentioned on the podcast a few weeks ago that I’d been binge listening to Rush lately and 2112 had taken residency in my headphones. I know that will expand for the foreseeable future. There was something otherworldly about the sound that was produced when Neil Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson played together.
His family announced today that Neil passed three days ago on January 7th. We also learned that he had been fighting brain cancer for the last three and a half years. The world is a better place because he was a part of it. We’ve been blessed by his supreme talent as a songwriter and drummer and by all accounts and most importantly as a Human Being. He will never be forgotten and his music will always be celebrated. But I can’t help be somber – we lost the greatest of all time. R.I.P. Neil Peart
-Tommy Marz
This was the statement from the official Rush website:
It is with broken hearts and the deepest sadness that we must share the terrible news that on Tuesday our friend, soul brother and band mate of over 45 years, Neil, has lost his incredibly brave three and a half year battle with brain cancer (Glioblastoma). 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. Those wishing to express their condolences can choose a cancer research group or charity of their choice and make a donation in Neil’s name.