Neil Peart Does Not Only Own The Music World
JAKARTA - Neil Peart does not only belong to the rock audience but also belongs to Canada. His departure not only left grief for rockheads and metalheads, but also for the leaders of the country he was born in.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid tribute to Peart, who died in Santa Monica, California on Tuesday, January 7. The drummer for the progressive rock band Rush gave up after battling brain cancer for the past 3.5 years.
"We lost a legend," tweeted Tredeau on his personal Twitter account.
"But his influence and legacy will live forever in the hearts of music fans in Canada and around the world. RIP Neil Peart."
Une légende nous a quittés. Mais son influence et son héritage vivront toujours dans le cœur des amateurs de musique du Canada et du monde. Repose en paix, Neil Peart. 🇨🇦
- Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 11, 2020
The love of the Canadian public including their government for Peart and of course Rush was undeniable. In 1997, Peart et al became the first rock musicians to be inducted into the Order of Canada (the highest star service in the system of honors for civilians in Canada).
The Ontario-born musician is recognized as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, alongside John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), Keith Moon (The Who), and Ginger Backer (Cream). Apart from being a drummer, Peart is also the main writer of Rush songs.
Rush has been inactive since completing the R40 Live tour five years ago. Peart has previously said that playing concerts at his age causes too much painful wear on his body and he would rather stop before his performances begin to deteriorate in quality.
Geddy Lee (vocals, bass, synthesizer) and Alex Lifeson (guitar) announced the news of Peart's passing through social media on Friday.
"It is with broken hearts and deep sadness that we have to share the bad news that on Tuesday our friend, soul mate and bandmate of 45 years, Neil, lost his incredible 3.5 year battle against brain cancer (Glioblastoma)," read Rush's official statement on his Instagram account.
Rush then asked the Pearts for privacy: "We ask friends, fans and the media alike to respect the family's need for privacy and peace at this painful and difficult time. Those who wish to offer their condolences can choose a cancer research group or charity and make a donation. on behalf of Neil. "
"Rest in peace my brother," Rush's statement concluded.
Neil Peart September 12, 1952 - January 7, 2020 pic.twitter.com/NivX2RhiB8
- Rush (@rushtheband) January 10, 2020
Lee and Lifeson repeatedly said Rush would never perform unless the three musicians agreed to take part. They haven't performed as Rush without Peart since he joined the band in 1974.
Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy recently dismissed rumors that he would be on tour with Lee and Lifeson as a replacement for Peart.
Portnoy responded to a false report from a Spanish website posted on Día De Los Santos Inocentes (Holy Innocents' Day), which takes place on December 28 and is celebrated as a kind of Spanish April Fool's Day.
A few days after the article was published, Portnoy provided clarification via his Twitter and Instagram by writing: "Hahaha so everyone sent this to me ... Apparently some metal websites posted fake articles saying I will be joining @rush in 2020 for 40th Anniversary Tour Permanent Waves! Even to the point of making fake Twitter posts from me!
Even though it's a really awesome (totally hypothetical) dream ... and I will definitely do it with my heart ... sadly that's not true !! (But it's a cool idea). Anyway, just want to clarify this news for anyone who has got their wish thought that this might be real! "