January 10, 2020

RIP, Neal Peart

“

Suddenly you were gone
from all the lives you left your mark upon [. . .]

I learned your love for life
I feel the way that you would
I feel your presence
I remember

” — Neal Peart, “Afterimage”

Neal Peart died on Tuesday at 67 of brain cancer.

How can I even begin to articulate what Rush has meant to me over the years? Like myself, Neal’s ideas grew over the years, become more subtle and sophisticated as he experienced more. Read more. Became more. (Drank more scotch?) He was definitely one of a kind, inspiring on many levels. He was a true virtuoso—a perfectionist—driven to squeeze every bit out of life that he could. He will be missed, but he will live on in the art he has left us. Thanks, Neal, and godspeed.