John Rutsey

John Howard Rutsey (July 23, 1952 – May 11, 2008) was a Canadian musician best known as a founding member and original drummer of Rush. He performed on the band's 1974 debut album, but left shortly after its release due to health problems which limited his ability to tour with the band. He was subsequently replaced by Neil Peart, who remained Rush's drummer until 2015.

Biography Personal life Rutsey was the son of Toronto Telegram crime reporter Howard Rutsey. He had an older brother named Bill, and a younger brother named Mike who became a baseball writer. Whereas Lee and Lifeson were listening to progressive rock bands such as Yes, Pink Floyd and Genesis at that time, Rutsey drew more inspiration from harder styles of music.

Formation of Rush Rutsey and Lifeson became close friends while attending St. Patrick’s School, and the pair would play street hockey together in their neighborhood. Together, they initially were members of the bands The Projection with Bill Fitzgerald and "Doc" Cooper. When Rush performed live, Rutsey was the one who would introduce the band members to the audience, and tell them the name of the song before they would perform it.

Soon after Rush released its debut album, Rutsey left the band, due to musical differences, health concerns related to diabetes, and his general distaste for touring. Rutsey's final performance with the group was on July 25, 1974, at Centennial Hall in London, Ontario. He was replaced by Neil Peart. In one of his rare interviews, Rutsey stated that he had no regrets about leaving Rush and admitted "he left because he didn't like the band's music anymore."

Rutsey had occasionally kept in touch with Lee and Lifeson in the years following his departure from Rush. Lifeson stated in a 1989 interview that he still often had seen Rutsey, and after leaving the band Rutsey went into bodybuilding. Lifeson remarked, "He competed on an amateur level for a while, doing that for a few years, and has sort of been in and out of that, but he still works out, and I work out with him a few times a week at a local gym – at a Gold's, here in Toronto." In 2005, Lifeson said that he had not seen Rutsey since around 1990. Lee revealed in his 2023 memoir My Effin' Life that Rutsey was one of the guests at his wedding in 1976, the first and only time Rutsey and Neil Peart met.

Death On May 11, 2008, Rutsey died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack, related to complications from diabetes. Rutsey's family wished to keep the funeral a private affair,

Aftermath After Rutsey's death, Lee and Lifeson released this statement: "Our memories of the early years of Rush when John was in the band are very fond to us. Those years spent in our teens dreaming of one day doing what we continue to do decades later are special. Although our paths diverged many years ago, we smile today, thinking back on those exciting times and remembering John's wonderful sense of humour and impeccable timing. He will be deeply missed by all he touched."

Rutsey's part in the band's early history is acknowledged in the 2010 documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. Tape-recorded comments from him are heard during the film, and the DVD release includes two performances with him on drums in its bonus features. A third performance is included as a bonus feature on the Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland home video release.

Discography Single: 1973: "Not Fade Away" / "You Can't Fight It" (with Rush)

Studio album: 1974: Rush (with Rush)