Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson send thanks for “outpouring of love” since Neil Peart’s death

Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have sent a message of thanks to everyone who has paid tribute to Neil Peart.

Peart’s death was announced on Friday last week, with a statement from the band saying the 67-year-old died on January 7 after a three and a half year battle with brain cancer.

Tributes from the world of music soon began to flood in, while artists who were in concert in the hours after the news broke paid their own tribute to the influential musician, including Tool, Dream Theater and Styx.

Fans have also shared their own tributes to Peart across social media, with more than 24,000 messages posted to Rush’s Facebook page alone.

In a new post, Lee and Lifeson say: “Our most heartfelt thanks go out to family, friends, musicians, writers and fans from around the globe for the incredible outpouring of love and respect for Neil since his passing.

“These touching tributes help to lessen the pain of this terrible loss and remind us all to celebrate his remarkable life and our connections to it.”

Yesterday it was reported that streams and sales of Rush's music have increased dramatically since Peart's death, with audio and video plays hitting a combined figure of more than 24.5 million between January 10-13.

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.