Metal World Order: Neil Peart 1952-2020: Heartbreaking, just simply heartbreaking to lose such a huge person in rock music. Neil Peart passed away last week, and it was announced Friday that he had a 3 1/2 year battle with brain cancer. I give my thoughts, and a little bit of a funny story on how I got into Rush. Neil's drumming will live on through the music, and how amazing he was. R.I.P Neil Peart.