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Neil Peart Has Passed Away


southpaw2k5
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Years ago, while attending a service to remember those who've passed, I heard a Rabbi offer these thoughts.. Which have remained with me for years. When I think about Neils passing, these thoughts came to mind...

 

Death seeks to obliterate the footprints we leave on Earth- it looks to erase our presence. But I believe that remembering someone denies death that final victory – as if to say to death – you can take them from this earth, but you cannot take them from me. Love and remembrance aren’t stronger than death, because they cannot bring them back – but they’re not weaker either, because as long as we remember them, they haven’t disappeared. To feel that we have lost the person, but we haven’t lost them. That they are gone, but they are here.

 

 

 

 

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Hi guys, like many of you I haven't been on here in a long time but of course felt the need to return after hearing this terrible news. I had 3 people text / call me and that's actually how I found out- Somehow I completely missed how it was spread all over the news. I mostly feel bad for Carrie and especially Olivia, who now won't have her dad just as he left the limelight so he could spend more time with her. I said this before on some youtube comment but it's true: Neil and RUSH are truly immortal through their timeless music, and rest assured that New Years Eve 2111 somebody's going to be blasting 2112 from a rooftop somewhere long after we're all gone. Try to take that into consideration and it may make you feel better (it does for me).
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I still can’t get my head around this. Not ashamed to admit to bouts with streaming tears this weekend.

 

Never knew the man, true, but did we have to? And really, didn’t we know him some?

 

For a guy who ironically had this reputation for being mysterious and aloof and crazy private, he let us know a lot about him in his books and writings and lyrics. In many ways I feel we had a bigger insight into Neil than any of them, as much as he shied away from adulation and attention.

 

Exactly. I have come to the realization that Neil I believe came to appreciate how fans felt about his drumming and his writing but only loathed the idol-worship, which I know I'm guilty of but that's human nature. I think Neil truly liked being liked for what he did; for a job well done, the way you would appreciate a mechanic or a doctor. But we don't put those people on pedestals -- they are "nobody's hero". Neil didn't want to be a hero, just someone who shared himself through music. So you are right. He was more open than most realize.

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For a guy who ironically had this reputation for being mysterious and aloof and crazy private, he let us know a lot about him in his books and writings and lyrics. In many ways I feel we had a bigger insight into Neil than any of them, as much as he shied away from adulation and attention.

 

He shared his innermost thoughts and ideas with the world. To me, that is a thousand times better than maintaining a physical presence in the public eye.

 

Our society is waist deep in superficial, classless celebrities trying to have the cameras on them, trying to be seen.

 

Neil Peart was rarely seen, but he was certainly heard and understood. A thousand times better....

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For a guy who ironically had this reputation for being mysterious and aloof and crazy private, he let us know a lot about him in his books and writings and lyrics. In many ways I feel we had a bigger insight into Neil than any of them, as much as he shied away from adulation and attention.

 

He shared his innermost thoughts and ideas with the world. To me, that is a thousand times better than maintaining a physical presence in the public eye.

 

Our society is waist deep in superficial, classless celebrities trying to have the cameras on them, trying to be seen.

 

Neil Peart was rarely seen, but he was certainly heard and understood. A thousand times better....

 

Yeah man. Perfectly put.

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For a guy who ironically had this reputation for being mysterious and aloof and crazy private, he let us know a lot about him in his books and writings and lyrics. In many ways I feel we had a bigger insight into Neil than any of them, as much as he shied away from adulation and attention.

 

He shared his innermost thoughts and ideas with the world. To me, that is a thousand times better than maintaining a physical presence in the public eye.

 

Our society is waist deep in superficial, classless celebrities trying to have the cameras on them, trying to be seen.

 

Neil Peart was rarely seen, but he was certainly heard and understood. A thousand times better....

 

Yeah man. Perfectly put.

 

 

:cheers:

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Hello Rush family...

 

I'm still at a total loss for words.

 

I'm surprised not surprised at how this news has effected not just me, but so many of us fans.

It was a long time friend and fellow member here that informed me of the news via text. it was a picture of Neil with the words below it that said RIP Professor. my reply was WHAT ???????? Immediately searched on my phone and found what he was talking about... :(

Stunned. disbelief. tears flowed. Blindsided. I guess for me that's why it hit me so hard. Didn't see it coming.

I recently lost a friend / fellow fan to cancer. He was a member here on TRF. Known the man for 30+ years and it was our shared fandom that brought us together. In my small town when i was a kid not many people were fans, or at least not huge fans like he and I. It was an instant bond that spanned many years and many tours.

In July last year when it became known that Danny was losing his battle to cancer i found out that Geddy was coming to Detroit for a book signing. I immediately thought of Danny and bought a book for him for Geddy to sign. I knew it would make his day as Geddy has always been his favourite member of the band.

At the book signing Geddy asked who Danny was. I explained he is a long time friend and fellow fan who was battling Cancer and is unable to make this event so i took it upon myself to do this for him. Geddy looked at me and said "You are a good friend". I mailed the book to Danny (he was living in Florida at the time) and he called me as soon as he received the signed book. Danny passed a couple of weeks later.

Little did I know then what i know now... he was losing a friend to cancer as well...

 

After all these years since becoming a fan of this band, i've carried them - the lyrics the music with me in every aspect of my life. I feel like a part of me has died.

 

I am amazed at the outpouring of so many beautiful tributes have been written, performed and posted online.

 

So much love to my Rush family in our time of grieving and healing... :heart: :rose:

You just made me cry all over again. Thank you so much for sharing, that's beautiful...

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On a purely selfish level I wish he had let us know. This might have been easier to deal with if he had. That's my problem though, not his.

 

If an announcement had been made, be it in mid-2016, 2017 or whenever, everyone would have had years of additional misery.

 

Every single day, Rush fans would have had to tell themselves, Neil is dying.

 

That would have been emotional torture for Rush fans. No, thank you!

 

Gord Downie died of the exact same illness in 2017, went public with his battle in 2016 and gave us 15 glorious arena shows to say goodbye.

 

Still sucks.

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Well, this isn’t getting any easier. I haven’t dared listen to any Rush yet. The lyrics popping up in my head are hard enough to listen to, without actually hearing them.

 

I’m glad you guys are all here, reminding me that I’m not alone in this strange grief.

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Well, this isn’t getting any easier. I haven’t dared listen to any Rush yet. The lyrics popping up in my head are hard enough to listen to, without actually hearing them.

 

I’m glad you guys are all here, reminding me that I’m not alone in this strange grief.

 

Aye. I thought of my RUSH family here first after learning the news.

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On a purely selfish level I wish he had let us know. This might have been easier to deal with if he had. That's my problem though, not his.

 

If an announcement had been made, be it in mid-2016, 2017 or whenever, everyone would have had years of additional misery.

 

Every single day, Rush fans would have had to tell themselves, Neil is dying.

 

That would have been emotional torture for Rush fans. No, thank you!

 

Gord Downie died of the exact same illness in 2017, went public with his battle in 2016 and gave us 15 glorious arena shows to say goodbye.

 

Still sucks.

 

I don't know who Gord Downie was. It's a deeply personal decision for anyone, and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

 

Such is the greatness and mystery of life! :sundog:

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I've been away from TRF for a few years but, like many others, I find myself drawn here seeking solace in the company of other TRF family members. I let my past grow too fast (as it were).

 

The reality of his passing comes to me in waves and I hope and pray that his family can find some peace. The outpouring of respect for him has brought me to tears a few time as the world expresses what we have known all along.

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Been away from message boards for quite a while. I had to play around a bit to remember my password.

 

I learned via text from a college friend/teammate just before I was leaving home to webcast my local high school's basketball game Friday night. I was busy and really didn't have time to process it. I mentioned it to my wife as I went out the door and she said that she had just read it herself.

 

We reached a point in the 1st half of the game where the visiting team went up 21-12. I repeated the score on air, just like I do dozens of times per game, and then it hit me. I gave a mention of his passing and a verbal tip of the cap with my analyst and went back to the game pxp.

 

Back in the 80's, three of us guys in college, 2 players and myself, the team manager, spent 3-4 years together jamming Rush albums daily. I can still remember driving about 50 miles to the nearest record store to buy Signals the day it came out in 1982. My younger brother had Moving Pictures first. After I got into them, I bought Exit Stage Left as one of my Columbia Record club 13 records for a penny deals. Signals was my first store bought album, or should I say cassette. We decided to play it safe so we could listen to both in the dorm and in a car so I bought the tape. We all loaded up and headed to the Charlotte Coliseum to see them in March of 1983. I still have my ticket stub from that one.

 

After Roll The Bones I stopped running out to buy the latest recording. The 90's were musically a wasteland to me and I had no interest in anyone's new music. My wife bought me Different Stages for Christmas and that is when I first learned of the tragedies in his family. With the increasing use of the Internet, I began to keep up with the goings on of the band began to regain my interest when they reunited.

 

My son was born in 1999 and when Rush in Rio was released, I played it nearly every morning on the way to pre-school and he loved it. We had to talk about "the Dragon" and how he got his name. When they came to Charlotte in 2004, I so wanted to take him with us but my wife said No. I did eventually take him 2006 to Raleigh but he had kind of grown out of that baby like innocence about it by then. We also went with my brother when he got to be middle school age. Now he's in college. He's not a super-duper fan but does have some songs on his playlists and he kept my Fly By Night poster when we swapped rooms in the house a few years ago. I've saved my "shrunk in the closet" t-shirts for him once he lifts or eats his way up to my size.

 

Its a bummer for sure but the music will always be there when we are ready. I like the $21.12 donation idea that has been brought up.

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I just put on my signature Neil Peart drumming shoes and attempted to play along with some Rush songs. The experience was beyond humbling. As a recreational drummer, I can do a passable job with many songs by other bands, but not with Rush - attempting to play Rush songs (not just air-drum them) reveals the intricacy of Neil's composition and the immense skill needed to execute the compositions. It took an artist and musician of unique brilliance to do what Neil did.
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I'm a fan of hundreds of artists, and I don't always know who has had the most impact on me. Joe Strummer's passing affected me a great deal, as did Bowie's. This one hit harder. Part of that is probably the fact that I am on the cusp of 50 myself, but I'm sure the biggest reason is that I have never liked a band as much as I like RUSH.

 

As soon as I heard the sad news I texted my son, also a fan, to tell him. I then texted my daughter, also a fan but who's boyfriend is possibly a bigger fan that I am. She told me he donated $21.12 to a cancer charity in Neil's name.

 

I then logged on to this site, which I joined three and a half years ago. Three and a half years- that's how long Neil battled his cancer. I wasn't one of those who felt like he would ever tour again, but like many I hoped for something. I was never angry or bitter that he retired, I can't imagine rigorously touring with limbs screaming in pain every night. I'm glad he retired, he certainly didn't owe me anything. But I'm saddened that his retirement was spent largely facing this assault on his body. And, assuming Geddy and Alex knew all this time, how difficult answering endless questions about 'getting back together' must have been.

 

I've been a Rush fan for far longer than I realized at the time.

For a few years in my pre-adolescence songs would come on the radio that I loved. Some I knew as Rush, like Tom Sawyer. Some I didn't. It wasn't until I was about 14 that I realized that Closer/Fly/Spirit/Freewill/Subdivisions/New World/Distant/Body, etc., were all by the same band.

 

I was amazed at the range, the eclectic nature of the band. The lyrics, the musicianship, the uniqueness. It was probably a promotional ad for a Grace concert in Omaha that awakened me, but from that point on Rush has been my favorite band. In reality they'd been my favorite band since '81. I just didn't realize.

 

When I first logged on this thread was in another section, with only one page. Shorty later it was seven pages. Next time I log on there is an entire Neil section with several threads and hundreds of people had been visiting.

 

I'm glad I found this community. Even as I type this message, my first since the bad news, in a thread 30 pages long, three more replies have been added.

 

I hope, if it holds any meaning to the family, that Neil's friends and family look upon these pages and reflect on the lasting impact he has had on the planet. Whenever anyone dies we are well served to remember how they changed us, affected us, and how they left a mark upon the world. Most of us make a smaller impact but nevertheless we affect those around us by virtue of our mere existence. Let's try to be kind, let's try to teach. and try to be encouraging.

 

Thank you Neil for the soundtrack of my youth and because of this, having an impact on who I am today.

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On the way to church this morning, we were listening to Sirius Channel 27. They are playing Rush today. Listened and drummed to Twilight Zone, and Live Xanadu:)

Then...the synth intro to 2112 revealed to me how POWERFUL the hurt still is!!

More tears!!

 

A good friend of mine texted that was going on. Don't have Sirius, But if I did I'd want to hear from the DJ and fans in between the music.

 

Hopefully, others will be comforted by it. The music will be there anytime when I'm ready for it.

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I’m glad you guys are all here, reminding me that I’m not alone in this strange grief.

So am I. I knew this wouldn't be easy, but it's so much worse than I ever imagined it would be. If I wasn't able to come here and share what I'm feeling with others who understand, I don't know what I would do...

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For a guy who ironically had this reputation for being mysterious and aloof and crazy private, he let us know a lot about him in his books and writings and lyrics. In many ways I feel we had a bigger insight into Neil than any of them, as much as he shied away from adulation and attention.

 

He shared his innermost thoughts and ideas with the world. To me, that is a thousand times better than maintaining a physical presence in the public eye.

 

Our society is waist deep in superficial, classless celebrities trying to have the cameras on them, trying to be seen.

 

Neil Peart was rarely seen, but he was certainly heard and understood. A thousand times better....

 

Well put and very underappreciated in that sense.

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must have been really difficult for Geddy and Al to give the typical unemotional reaction to 'hey, any chance of Rush getting back together?', when they knew the real reason made that impossible.

 

 

I can bet that there were many times Ged broke down in tears in hotel rooms on his book signing tour :(

perhaps, but Canadians by nature are pretty stoic.

Imagine how many times he got the " How's Neil?" question. Anyone think that the last time they met up was maybe a kind of goodbye. It wasn't so long ago.

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So I thought I was finished being semi-depressed.

 

Driving to my gig last night, of course I decide to listen to GuP.

 

Jesus Christ.

 

These lyrics hit like a piano on my head:

 

“We can go from boom to bust

From dreams to a bowl of dust”

 

Dreams to a ball of dust —- just started weeping in my car.

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So I thought I was finished being semi-depressed.

 

Driving to my gig last night, of course I decide to listen to GuP.

 

Jesus Christ.

 

These lyrics hit like a piano on my head:

 

“We can go from boom to bust

From dreams to a bowl of dust”

 

Dreams to a ball of dust —- just started weeping in my car.

 

He wrote so many songs with that underlying theme of looking to the future and knowing that nothing lasts forever, mortality, and that it's the journey that counts.

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