Neil Peart's Real Name: Neil Peart

Quick answer: The drummer and lyricist was known professionally as Neil Peart. AllMusic and an official Rush biography both record his birth as September 12, 1952, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and his death as January 7, 2020, in Santa Monica, California. Neither of those accounts supplies a longer legal name.

Real name and early life

AllMusic's fact box lists the birth as September 12, 1952, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The official Rush biography independently gives the same date and city, and says he first lived on a family dairy farm near Hagersville before the family moved to nearby St. Catharines, where he began drum lessons at age 13. AllMusic independently says he began learning the drums at 13. The official biography says that at 18 he moved to London, England, later returning to Canada in 1972. AllMusic independently describes a brief stint living in England before he returned to Canada in the early 1970s.

Career highlights

The official biography says that in July 1974 he auditioned for a Toronto band and joined Rush on the eve of their first American release and tour. AllMusic independently says he joined after a tryout once Rush had finished touring behind its debut album, alongside Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. Both accounts say he appeared on the band's second album, Fly by Night, and became the group's primary lyricist. AllMusic dates Fly by Night to 1974; the official biography dates that album to 1975. Both then discuss 2112 (1976), A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, and Moving Pictures (1981). AllMusic also names later studio albums including Vapor Trails (2002), Snakes & Arrows (2007), and Clockwork Angels (2012), and says he retired after Rush's 40th Anniversary Tour in 2015. The official biography independently discusses his retirement and records honors including appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada, induction into the Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame in 2010, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. It also lists books including The Masked Rider (1996) and Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road (2002). AllMusic independently notes that he was also an author and names The Masked Rider among his books.

Death

AllMusic records his death on January 7, 2020, in Santa Monica, after a long battle with brain cancer, and later says he had spent three and a half years struggling with brain cancer. The official biography independently says he died at home in Santa Monica on January 7, 2020, three and a half years after a diagnosis of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Name notes for searchers

People looking up Neil Peart are looking for the Rush drummer and lyricist. The sources used here do not give a longer legal name.