The New York Times reports Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush, died on January 7 in Santa Monica, California at the age of 67. For the last three-and-a-half years he suffered from glioblastoma, a malignant tumor affecting the brain. He was the band’s primary lyricist and the youngest person ever inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall Of Fame.
He retired from the band in 2018, living out his final years with his wife, photographer Carrie Nuttall, and daughter Olivia. Peart was praised for his long drum solos, during which he would employ exotic percussion instruments, and for Rush’s lyrics, in which he would reference fantasy, science fiction, mythology, and philosophy. He was once ranked No. 2 on Blender magazine’s list of “worst lyricists in rock” after Sting, but was also called “one of rock’s most accomplished lyricists.” Rush was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, won multiple Juno Awards, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. The band’s music also played a major part in the plot of the 2009 Paul Rudd comedy I Love You, Man.
In addition to his work with the band, Peart also published several memoirs, as well as a novelization of the band’s 2012 album Clockwork Angels alongside noted sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson. Peart even briefly cameoed in the Adult Swim film Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters in 2007, in which samples of his drumming were played. He was also a winner of the Order of Canada, the second highest honor for merit Canada awards.
