A generation of air drummers crashed their imaginary cymbals as one Friday night upon learning that Neil Peart, part of the groundbreaking Canadian prog rock power trio of Rush, had died of brain cancer. He was 67.
Surviving Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson called him their “friend, soul brother and band mate of over 45 years” in a statement on their website.
To call Peart simply a drummer is not enough. Nicknamed “The Professor,” Peart expanded the language of percussion in a rock context with an enormous kit, complex time signatures and elaborate patterns known to vex even the most hardy of his colleagues. He was also the lyricist for the band, known (and sometimes ridiculed) for his love of fantasy, science fiction, intricate wordplay and earnest philosophy. Rush was not for everyone, but for the faithful who loved long instrumental breaks and stories about “Prince By-Tor and the Snow Dog,” they inspired a deep devotion.
Other than 1981’s “Tom Sawyer,” which featured early synthesizers as well as clashing guitars and a driving rock beat, Rush did not have too many songs that made their way into the mainstream. This did not stop them from selling out arena rock tours for decades.
As one of the principal architects prog (or progressive) rock, Rush’s fanbase dovetailed with other nerdy attractions like Dungeons and Dragons, Star Trek, Doctor Who and comic books at a time before such things were out of the cultural closet, so to speak. In the late aughts, however, liking Rush became a little more acceptable, as their music popped up in unexpected places like The Sopranos, the Paul Rudd film I Love You, Man, Adventureland starring Kristen Stewart and, most lovingly, on Freaks and Geeks.
Neil Peart’s passing brought out many tributes on social media. Musicians including Gene Simmons of KISS, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, David Ellefson of Megadeth, Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath, Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith, Tyler Stewart of Barenaked Ladies, Max Weinberg of the E Street Band and Chuck D of Public Enemy shared thoughts.
Actor (and also rocker) Jack Black, retired baseball hero Mike Piazza and even the Hockey Hall of Fame (Peart was Canadian) weighed in, too.
Neil Peart was late to join Rush. By 1974 the Toronto-based group was already a borderline success as a Led Zeppelin-esque club band with the blue collar single “Working Man” under their belt. The departure of first drummer, John Rutsey, opened a spot for someone not just to rock out but explore time with innovative bassist-singer Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson. Peart, later a published author, was a private and bookish man, and his lyrics gave the band their (regularly mocked in some corners) aura of interplanetary wizardry in the early years.