One of the very best to ever hold the stix.. R.I.P. "The Professor" Neil Peart.. 
Didn’t know you were fan, Mick!!👍👍 AWESOME!!
My board name makes it obvious, and yes, the “RUSH” part of “PUCKNRUSH”, DOES signify my favorite. all time, rock band! I am, of course, a HUGE follower/fan of Rush!
I’ve not only enjoyed the technically difficult challenge, over the past 43-44 years, of attempting to learn and play, nearly 75-80% of all their songs, (Believe me, those guys will keep you on your toes, as a musician), but, like many of my fellow heavily dedicated Rush fans, we grew up, as late teenagers, and through most of our adult life, being influenced by Neil Peart’s incredible lyrics.....IN ADDITION, to his impossible drum parts!
Anyone over 40, most likely can remember, “that friend”, they had, that was a big Rush head!
Yes, I’m one of those!
Very sad day for rock music fans. Especially drummers! I’m not quite as down as I thought I’d be, mainly because I read today that he had actually been diagnosed with brain cancer, 3 1/2 YEARS AGO!!
That means, that he kept it from the media. It was no secret that he wanted nothing to do with the Hollywood/pop music, media machine! He was intensely guarded about his privacy, shunning almost all media attempts for interviews about his “personal life”! I’ve met him twice, and everybody says he comes off quite cold! Not mean, just tries to avoid it all!
He wrote the lyrics to the famous song, “Limelight“, as an attempt to address the subject, of all the drummers, and fans, that wanted to personally meet him, and talk about all his meaningful songs, and such!! Pitted against the struggle of being a public figure, working hard to be the best at his craft, but disliking and avoiding the natural fame that would come with it! Here’s a few lines from the song:
“Living in a fisheye lens.
Caught in the camera eye.
I have no heart to lie.
I can’t pretend a stranger is a long awaited friend.”
(then the chorus):
“Living in the limelight, the universal dream, for those who wish to SEEM!!
THOSE who wish to BE, must put aside the alienation,
Get on with the fascination, the REAL relation, the underlying theme”.....
IMO, what a great message!!
NEIL PEART, kept his 3 1/2 year, brain cancer diagnosis, in complete secrecy, from the superficially curious, and never-to-be-trusted, media hounds, allowing only his 2 bandmates, and two or three of his closest family members, to know about his condition. YET....
He actually died 3 days ago, on Jan. 7th. The “public” found out 72 hours later.......JUST THE WAY HE WOULD HAVE WANTED IT, I’m sure!!👍.
We lost of music giant today! I’m sad for Neil Pearts family, his band mates, Geddy and Alex, and the millions of Rush fans around the world!
I’m both sad about his passing, but happy for Mr. Peart, that at least in death, he received the privacy, that he had seemed to always fight so hard for! You impacted MANY!!
Rest quietly, Professor.😔😔
(Thanks, Mick),
Rush
