Neil Peart, the drummer for Canadian prog-rock group Rush, died at age 67, according to reports on Friday, triggering an outpouring of condolences on social media.
His publicist told the CBC and Rolling Stone that he died on Tuesday in California. His cause of death was brain cancer, of which he was battling for the past three years, Elliott Mintz, a spokesperson for the Peart family told the magazine.
Rush finished their final tour in 2015. He had joined the band in 1974 as a drummer and also contributed lyrics.
Rush was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Canadian Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
Following the band’s final tour, a year later, Peart revealed in documentary “Rush: Time Stand Still” that he was dealing with severe physical pain while performing, reports said.
In an interview in 2015, Peart mentioned that his young daughter Olivia, who was born in 2009, “has been introducing me to new friends at school as ‘My dad — he’s a retired drummer.’ True to say — funny to hear. And it does not pain me to realize that, like all athletes, there comes a time to ... take yourself out of the game.”
Tributes Pour In
Following news of his death, tributes poured in on social media.Peart’s survivors include his wife Carrie and daughter Olivia. Funeral plans are forthcoming, the CBC reported.
