What happened to Neil Peart? Rush announces new tour years after drummer’s death

Rush, the renowned Canadian band, is reuniting five years after the death of drummer Neil Peart.

The news was announced by Rush's co-founders, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, in a press release on Monday, October 6. According to the band's official website, The Fifty Something Tour set for 2026 is to celebrate "50 plus years of Rush music, their legacy, and honour late bandmate Neil Peart."

The tour spanning seven cities in North America will mark the first time in eleven years that Geddy Lee (bass, keys, vocals) and Alex Lifeson (guitar, vocals) reunite on stage together since the finale of Rush's R40 Tour on August 1, 2015, at the Forum in Los Angeles, CA.

In the absence of Peart, Lee and Lifeson will be joined onstage by German drummer, composer, producer and studio musician Nika Nilles.

Neil Peart died at the age of 67 in January 2020 from Glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. His bandmates confirmed the news in a Facebook post, writing:

"It is with broken hearts and the deepest sadness that we must share the terrible news that on Tuesday our friend, soul brother and band mate of over 45 years, Neil, has lost his incredibly brave three and a half year battle with brain cancer (Glioblastoma)."

Meanwhile, Peart's widow Carrie Nuttall, whom he wed in 2000, and their daughter Olivia, shared a statement in support of the Fifty Something Tour, stating:

"We are thrilled to support the Fifty Something Tour, celebrating a band whose music has resonated and inspired fans for generations, and to honor Neil's extraordinary legacy as both a drummer and lyricist," the mother-daughter duo said.

Before marrying Carrie, Peart, who joined Lee and Lifeson in 1974, was previously married to Jacqueline Taylor for 23 years. They later welcomed a daughter named Selena Taylor, who tragically died in a car accident at the age of 19. Her mother died shortly after.

"[It] was devastating": Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson reflect on Neil Peart's death

In an interview with Geoff Edgers at the Ohio museum, Geddy Lee shared that playing music together helped them lift the grief they felt following Neil Peart's death.

"Losing a member like Neil is, was devastating and it was a very sad time and it took time for us to even contemplate … I mean, this is a relatively recent decision, and I would say it was kind of out of the question for the longest time because of those circumstances. And how do you replace someone who's irreplaceable, you know?"

Speaking about reviving the band, Lee shared that it was something they would joke about while "doing other things." However, in the last couple of years, "something happened… that brought us back to jamming in the studio."

"He [Alex Lifeson] would come over and drink my coffee, hang around and we would jam and we would laugh. And then one day — I don't know why — we started playing some Rush songs for fun. And God, we were laughing so hard and we were enjoying it so much. And it was almost like playing those songs dispelled the dark clouds," Lee said.

He further admitted that the tour was not an "easy decision to come to, and this is really the first time we're talking about it out loud in front of other people," but "it feels right and we're going to do it."

The Fifty Something Tour will begin with two shows in Los Angeles on June 7 and 9, 2026, with the final show of the tour taking place in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 17.