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Neil Peart Has Passed Away


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Really devastated. Couldn't sleep and was on twitter at around 4.00am when I read the news.

I had to get up.

My thoughts are with his family and friends, Geddy and Alex.

Despite my age (68) I'm relatively new to Rush and can only guess how this must be hurting you all here for who he has been a large part of your life.

My thoughts are with you too.

 

RIP Professor

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A hero of mine too. Rush have always been a part of my life, ever since I first heard 2112 in the late 70s. They haven't always produced albums I've fallen in love with, but the ones I do love will always be with me. I was privileged enough to see them twice in the UK, once on the 1983 Signals tour, and at the O2 in 2015. We all knew that Rush as a band had finished, but it's such a tragedy that Neil's retirement was spent battling this monstrous condition.

 

My thoughts go out to his family, and those others closest to him. It must have been hell keeping this quiet for all this time.

 

RIP The Professor. Your memory lives on in your music.

Edited by Simon
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My eyes are dried with salt and then the "Tears" fall again. I have cried all day and night. I know "I can't pretend a stranger is a long awaited friend" yet we all live in the "Limelight."

We will all pass away one day but this one really hurts me deep.

I know over the many moons I have been an unfiltered and over the top forum member, but it was really all about RUSH and my passion for this band since I was in the seventh grade.

Regardless of igniting strangers on here with my daunting daggers in text and such. No matter what anyone will ever think of me on this Forum or on the Earth. Neil was "IT" for me.

Many of you have always asked for my "ban" over the years, yet 73 must have seen the goodness in me. You can't be loved by everyone on the planet, and you certainly can't be hated by everyone too. It's life.

I have made way more friends on this Forum than enemies. Probably why I am still around. 73 knows "The Real Me." Anyway, my father and Neil have been my mentors. The two guys I look up to and love beyond beyond.

I am sooooo sad today, yet I know that I am also so lucky and blessed. My 82 year young father is still alive and very healthy. My 79 year old mom is still alive and doing well too.

My phone blew up today. Over one hundred texts from friends and people around the world were worried about me today. Ex-girlfriends, even my ex wife who I took to over 25 Rush shows over 20 years was so sweet to me.

I always thought to myself after I saw the last RUSH show ever that how will I ever deal with Neil's death some year. I figured I had lots of time to figure it out. I had no clue. But even thought I was an atheist in the past I became more about the Universe and

Spirituality. "Spirit Of Radio" comes to mind. So I think it's time to share something with all and it's really no big deal now, but I have to get this off my chest and tell you all.

Back on November 2nd 2019 I met someone who knew the Peart family very well. He told me that Neil was suffering from a brain tumor and that Geddy and Alex flew out to see him at his Santa Monica home.

I had no idea about this and I thought it was a complete rumor and not true information at all. I just dismissed this notion and moved on from it.

Now here we all are on January 10th 2020. Neil is gone from brain cancer. It kills me. All of my friends and family told me on the phone today that I am a very lucky soul. Forget about seeing 60 Neil Peart drum solos since 1984. Forget about the incredible lyrical content Neil gave to this Earth.

For me personally Neil gave me a gift. I fell in love with the drums in the seventh grade. Then that same year I fell in love with RUSH and especially Neil Peart.

I remember back in 1981 which was actually the eighth grade now I was taking drum lessons. Sorry, "Bravado" just came one. I can't see the screen with so many tears flowing down my face. I remember reading an article about how Alex had to just watch Neil play the drums on this song. Even his jaw hit the ground.

Neil's drumming on "Bravdo" is beyond beyond. I love playing it on the drums.

Anyway, where was I? So my drum teacher, Ray Libby told me to put on the headphones because he wanted to teach me "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac. I remember even as a young spirited fella that I was totally bored playing that song one time through. I remember how bored I was.

So next week I brought him the cassette of "Moving Pictures." I told Ray I would like him to teach me "YYZ." on the drums. Everyone was into "Tom Sawyer" as kids. I was hooked on "YYZ." Well my drum teacher couldn't play it. Ironically I think Ray was more of a jazz drummer. LOL!

I left in frustration that night.

I went home and I put on my Sony Walkman and I learned "YYZ" on my own.

Then it became a passion. An obsession.

All I did was want to learn the entire Rush Canon on the drums.

So I started to go backwards in time and play to all of earlier records.

I was so young and I loved the challenge.

"Be cool or be cast out?"

I was a total nerd.

Had no friends even through high school.

I just immersed myself in Rush music for the drums.

The perfect nerd.

Closing the door in my drum room. My parents never complained. They are the greatest parents on the Earth to me.

Then closing my bedroom door.

Cranking "Grace Under Pressure" on cassette on my Pioneer stereo. Sitting at my desk ignoring my homework and writing lyrics like Neil.

I even did little drawings for the titles. I really liked using red and black for the title and art.

Hell, some people even today think I look a bit like Neil. It's true.

Even in the "Time Stand Still" video during that three dimensional shot. Neil in his black tank top with a tan. I that was me in 1987.

 

Well I've had a few beers tonight. Dedicated my first one to Neil. I'm still "Face Up" as I write this homage to Neil.

The greatest drummer and lyricist on the planet.

I will confess that even when I was an "Analog Kid" I hated seeing Neil holding a cigarette in magazine shots or just in random pics.

I have always hated cigarettes and I really had a hard time seeing Neil smoking that horrible crap.

I mean even in his books he refers to his Marlboros as "red apples."

Again, another weird thing.....

 

Last night I watched "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood." A masterpiece. Should win all the Oscars.

But anyway, at the end of the film Leo is doing a black and white ad for cigarettes. The are called "Red Apples."

So in my brain I thought perhaps that's why Neil called his smokes "red apples" instead.

 

Well, we all have our "Freewill" and we all make our own decisions.

 

I feel so sad for Geddy and Alex, but mostly Carrie and Olivia.

 

Neil is reunited with Jackie and Selena. So sad. "Chain Lightning" comes to mind. Amazing lyrics.

 

Life is short Rush Gang.

 

My heart is crushed and I have cried and ocean of tears tonight. "High Water" is rising from my eyes as I type this.

 

I mean I must be crazy right? Many of you think I am.

 

I have N PEART on my California license plate. Black with yellow letters. It's amazing and I am proud to have these plates.

Glad I met Neil by his bus during the "Vapor Trails" Tour despite us just locking eyes like two deer in headlights.

All I wanted to tell Neil was "Thank you, I've been playing the drums for 30 years thanks to you." I couldn't get the words out.

I was starstruck for the first time and only time in my life. He simply walked backwards and recoiled back onto his bus.

Meeting Geddy and Alex with many of my wonderful friends was a breeze on the GUP IV Wine Tour. Geddy and Alex were so sweet and so fun.

I remember Rod asked Alex if I could try out for RUSH and take Neil's place. Alex laughed and told me... "Ok you have 30 seconds to try out...... GO!"

So I hammered out "YYZ" on the breakfast tray with my fingers. Alex laughed and said.... "Ok! That's it! Thanks for trying!

 

It was classic.

 

Love you Rod. Love all of my friends on here.

 

This has been a rough day and it's finally after midnight. A new day is dawn yet the pain will eternally linger on..........................................

I will take my drumming gift and my love for Neil to my grave one day.

It's the Cycle Of Life.

We will all perish one day.

But yet we well always pray for the best.

I always thought of "Afterimage when his first wife and daughter passed. Now I think about Neil too.

 

"All the crap we are to take."

 

One of my best friends died last night too.

 

Killing me.

 

As I sit here with sunken in red bloated eyes, all I can do it learn to let it go and become stronger from this sadness.

I am so glad my mom and dad and my two girls Zoe and Skylar have seen RUSH.

One of my small goals in life. Achieved.

 

My girls have seen an Neil Peart drum solo in their lives.

 

I am happy with a mixture of emotional tears.

 

NEIL PEART! I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!

 

YOU WILL LIVE INSIDE ME EVEN AFTER I DIE!!!!

 

I WILL PLAY YOUR MUSIC ALONE ON THE DRUMS UNTIL I DIE!!!

 

 

CAPS ON BABY!!!!

 

CAPS FUKKKKKKKKKING ON!!!!!

 

THAT'S FOR ALL OF YOU WHO KNOW ME!!!!!

 

 

RIP PROFESSER!

 

The greatest drummer ever!!

 

 

Jesus! "Ghost Of A Chance" is now on my stereo! It was my wedding song.

 

"I believe there's a ghost of a chance to find someone to love and make it last."

 

My marriage failed, but at least I found the late great Neil Peart in my little tiny life.

 

I am blessed Johnny Blaze. Not cursed...........................................

 

RUSH ON RUSH FORUM FAMILY!!!!

 

 

THANK YOU 73 FOR KEEPING ME AROUND!!!!!! One hell of a rollercoaster ride baby! I'm still not getting off!

 

 

 

 

NEIL PEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Very well said, Earl. I haven’t had nearly enough fortitude to post anything at great length, but it may be coming...but well done, sir. I am just at a loss...as I’m also a drummer, since 1985, and a Rush fiend since several years earlier than that.

 

Long live Neil’s words and music!!

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I was on my couch, falling asleep. I was peeking at my iPhone and reading some comments on the Packers' fan forum "Insider Inbox". I shut off my phone and closed my eyes, ready to saw some major logs, but then my brain woke back up.

 

Did someone just post that Neil died?, my brain asked me. I got right up, went over to my desktop, and got online. Nothing from Yahoo!, which was not surprising. I clicked on Wikipedia and typed in "Neil Peart", and sure enough, his dates of birth AND death were there.

 

Then I came here. I should have come here first. :yes:

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I'm really shocked and devastated.

 

I attended a symphony concert last night that was an hommage to the music of Ennio Morricone and I wondered if he was still alive and I checked and noted that yeah still alive and almost 92 years old and I was like "wahouuh what a long life he has been enjoying, this is great"

 

And then I came back home and just before going to sleep I checked the news and I read...this and...well I'm speechless. Music is a huge part of my life and Rush has been, with Iron Maiden, my very favorite band, a true inspiration and Neil's lyrics had a huge influence on me so it's hard to believe that one of my heroes is no longer with us

My thoughts are with his family, his friends, Geddy and Alex

Rest in Peace Professor.

 

 

Suddenly, you were gone

From all the lives you left your mark upon

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There must be something wrong with me because I'm really not that bothered....obviously I wish it hadn't happened to him, but it's not as if I was acquainted with him personally...the band was done anyway and the music will always be out there.
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There must be something wrong with me because I'm really not that bothered....obviously I wish it hadn't happened to him, but it's not as if I was acquainted with him personally...the band was done anyway and the music will always be out there.

 

Being emotionally attached to Geddy, Alex and Neil is not required. My sister gave me her “condolences on my loss”, which I found rather odd. I didn’t lose anyone. My sister is my opposite; she’s a babbling emotional mess when her favorite rock stars die.

 

I’m guessing that Neil shared the same attitude of Frank Zappa, who said that the music is far more important. Frank didn’t need to be remembered, but he sure did want his music to be remembered.

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I wanted to share something from an article that laurabw posted on Facebook:

 

A music reviewer said that Neil was his "mental mentor I sought to please, whose approval I would interpret as success". Somehow I felt the same through a number of years, and remembered that feeling as soon as I read this.

 

What a tough night this was...I slept from 2 to 5, but I'm still shattered.

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There must be something wrong with me because I'm really not that bothered....obviously I wish it hadn't happened to him, but it's not as if I was acquainted with him personally...the band was done anyway and the music will always be out there.

 

There is nothing inherently ‘wrong’ with the way any of us feels about it. We all are who we are, individually.

 

:cheers:

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My sister said this to me today: "think of it this way; you were lucky to know who he was. A lot of people never will, or will never care. You do.". That's a different perspective. How LUCKY us fans are to have known and admired Neil. Listening to Rush last night and this morning made me realize for the millionth time how special they are, and the magic they created.
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So this was my sequence of events in hearing of Neil's death.

 

Friday night I'm driving to work and I decided to give my daughter a hands free call. Interupting my listening of the new release of RUSH '84 Live. I tell her all about getting in shape as she is doing the same. I rambling on, she's mentions someone died, but I continue rambling on till she stops me and says, Daaaaad, did you hear who I said died? I answer, some guy died so. She says, I said Neil Peart died (so proud of her she said the proper pronunciation of his name) and I answer, Neil Peart of Toronto, the Professor from our band RUSH......YES.

 

I literally drove off the road. At that moment ALL sorts of thoughts went through my head. What the hell happened, my thoughts it had to be a plane crash, he better not had been on that downed Ukranian plane. Then she tells me it was brain cancer, I was like what...I haven't heard a thing anywhere not even Fox News nothing. 

 

So once I got to work last night I immediately went to The Rush Forum. There they already had up a whole thread section dedicated to him with 9 threads on him already. I was confused how could they have all this up already and he just died today? Then i read on and I was like you mean to tell that he's been gone since Tuesday and I'm just hearing about it. Well there should be said for political distractions, they seem to work.

 

That is how I heard about Neil's passing from my daughter. I'm so glad I took her to the Vapor Trails at 6 and then the Snakes & Arrows Tour in '09 she's become a RUSHNUT as well.

 

PEACE, rest in it always The Professor!

 

Yes, he did die on Tuesday but the public didn't know about it until yesterday afternoon/evening. The announcement of his death didn't escape you for a few days, so don't worry about that. Neil had been fighting brain cancer for the last three years and nobody but close friends and family knew about it. Major respect to all of them for keeping it under wraps like they did. Especially to Geddy and Alex who had to answer so many questions about the band's future over the last few years when they knew all about what was going on. I'm sure there were others in the music industry who were aware of the situation as well but kept their mouths shut out of respect for Neil wanting his privacy. It really shows us the high regard those who knew him had for Neil to not allow this news to leak in any way.

 

Like some others have said, they probably waited a few days to tell the public because they wanted to have his funeral done quietly with no fan fare involved around it.

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Like some others have said, they probably waited a few days to tell the public because they wanted to have his funeral done quietly with no fan fare involved around it.

 

True to himself to the very end. No limelight desired!

 

He was a man of integrity. He said what he meant and he meant what he said.

 

 

 

:haz: :haz: :haz:

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Terrible news. Rush have been a massive part of my life since I was 13 years old, and a massive part of my bass education for over 3 decades. I loved Neil's playing and his lyrics too. Rest In Peace, good sir. I will be raising a glass of the Macallan in your honour this evening.
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"If it is nothingness that awaits us, let us make an injustice of it; let us fight against destiny, even though without hope of victory."

 

-Miguel de Unamuno

 

I always loved this quote and I think NEP would too.

 

Dude you are bringing the good quotes - keep it up.

 

Below is another one from de Unamuno that seems like it really should have worked its way into a NEP lyric somewhere. I hope he saw this line at some point, it would have pleased him.

 

I find it fitting because when I was young and in the bloom of my Rush fandom, it was the (then hard to find) writings of NEP that mostly fascinated me. In particular, I recall, a several page long journal excerpt, provided by membership in the "Backstage Club" - NEP wrote about A Conferderacy of Dunces, and spoke of Thomas Hardy, and used words like 'erudite,' and called a typewrite he hated a 'sodomite'... I read it over and over and over and over.

 

It was not the pictures of him behind the kit or goofing around with the band that held my attention. It was the pictures of him reading books.

 

Rock music and .... books. Not just books, the LOVE of books. The LOVE of words.

 

This, more than the music. For me. I knew it meant something very important.

 

NEP did what none of my school teachers were able to do, which was to inspire me to go on a lifelong scavenger hunt through every book I could find, in the hopes of becoming more like him. Because he produced words and music of such uncommon value.

 

 

Anyway, here is that quote from de Unamumo:

 

"The less we read, the more harmful it is what we read."

Edited by Wandering Hermit
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So as I sit here in my car, still in shock of his passing. I've one question, did anybody else have an idea he was battling cancer?

 

I had no clue he was sick or else I surely would've been visiting TRF more often.

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So as I sit here in my car, still in shock of his passing. I've one question, did anybody else have an idea he was battling cancer?

 

I had no clue he was sick or else I surely would've been visiting TRF more often.

 

I didn’t know at all. I really had not been following anything going on with the guys at all since they stopped performing together.

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So as I sit here in my car, still in shock of his passing. I've one question, did anybody else have an idea he was battling cancer?

 

I had no clue he was sick or else I surely would've been visiting TRF more often.

No, none whatsover. But cancer is f--ked up sneaky like that, as my own experience can attest to.

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So as I sit here in my car, still in shock of his passing. I've one question, did anybody else have an idea he was battling cancer?

 

I had no clue he was sick or else I surely would've been visiting TRF more often.

 

As far as I know, no one outside of his inner circle knew.

 

It just shows how much respect others had for him. No one leaked out anything about him or his illness.

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So as I sit here in my car, still in shock of his passing. I've one question, did anybody else have an idea he was battling cancer?

 

I had no clue he was sick or else I surely would've been visiting TRF more often.

 

As far as I know, no one outside of his inner circle knew.

 

It just shows how much respect others had for him. No one leaked out anything about him or his illness.

 

To be fair, it has been theorized a few years ago that Neil was having medical issues...and that was the real reason why Rush ceased touring or even making music as a whole....For the most part, I and many others simply wrote it off as a crack theory.....Would have never guessed it would actually be true....

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