SANTA MONICA—Canadian Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Neil Peart, 67, died in Santa Monica, from brain cancer on Tuesday, January 7, according to Elliot Mintz, a family spokesperson.
“It is with broken hearts and the deepest sadness that we must share the terrible news that on Tuesday, our friend, soul brother and bandmate of over 45 years, Neil, has lost his incredibly brave three and a half year battle with brain cancer,” said Rush singer-bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson in a statement posted on the band’s Twitter page.
Rush Band was formed in 1968. The group’s original drummer of Rush was John Rutsey. In 1974, Peart replaced Rutsey just days before the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band’s first tour in United States.
The group made it’s popularity in Canada, but sold more than 27.5 million records in the United States. Peart was an author who wrote seven nonfiction books. He retired from music on December 7, 2015.
He leaves behind his wife, Carrie Nuttall, who was a photographer and his daughter, Olivia Louise Peart. His daughter Selena was killed in a car crash in Toronto at the age of 19. Her mother, Jackie Taylor, Neil’s first wife, died of cancer.
