Neil Ellwood Peart OC (
/pɪərt/; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian musician, songwriter, and author, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band
Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an induction into the
Modern Drummer Readers Poll Hall of Fame in 1983, making him the youngest person ever so honoured.[SUP]
[3][/SUP] Known to fans by the nickname 'The Professor',[SUP]
[4][/SUP] his drumming was renowned for its technical proficiency and his live performances for their exacting nature and stamina.
Peart was born in
Hamilton, Ontario,[SUP]
[5][/SUP] and grew up in
Port Dalhousie (now part of
St. Catharines). During adolescence, he floated between regional bands in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer. After a discouraging stint in England to concentrate on his music, Peart returned home, where he joined Rush, a
Toronto band, in mid-1974, six years after its formation. They released nineteen studio albums, with ten exceeding a million copies sold in the United States.
Billboard ranks the band third for the "most consecutive
gold or
platinum albums by a rock band".[SUP]
[A][/SUP] Early in his career, Peart's performance style was deeply rooted in
hard rock. He drew most of his inspiration from drummers such as
Keith Moon,
Ginger Baker, and
John Bonham, players who were at the forefront of the British hard rock scene.[SUP]
[7][/SUP][SUP]
[8][/SUP] As time passed, he began to emulate
jazz and
big band musicians
Gene Krupa and
Buddy Rich. In 1994, Peart became a friend and pupil of jazz instructor
Freddie Gruber.[SUP]
[9][/SUP][SUP]
[10][/SUP] It was during this time that Peart decided to revamp his playing style by incorporating jazz and swing components.[SUP]
[8][/SUP][SUP]
[11][/SUP]
In addition to serving as Rush's primary lyricist, Peart published several memoirs about his travels. His lyrics for Rush addressed universal themes and diverse subjects including science fiction,
fantasy, and philosophy, as well as secular, humanitarian, and
libertarian themes. Peart wrote a total of seven nonfiction books focused on his travels and personal stories.
On December 7, 2015, Peart announced his retirement from music in an interview with
Drumhead Magazine,[SUP]
[12][/SUP] though bandmate
Geddy Lee insisted Peart was quoted out of context, and suggested Peart was "simply taking a break".[SUP]
[13][/SUP] However, in January 2018, bandmate
Alex Lifeson confirmed that Rush was retiring due to Peart's health issues.[SUP]
[14][/SUP] During his last years Peart lived in
Santa Monica, California, with his wife,
Carrie Nuttall, and daughter. After a three and a half year illness,[SUP]
[15][/SUP] Peart died of
glioblastoma on January 7, 2020, at age 67.[SUP]
[16][/SUP]