The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect. When Neil Peart wrote the lyrics to “The Garden”—the very last track on the last Rush album ever recorded—he sent me an excited email to say he thought it was the best, most beautiful song he had ever written. He had realized the thing to strive for in life was not property and accolades and possessions, but love and respect from other people. My friend Neil Peart died on January 7, 2020, after a long battle with brain cancer. This has been a most terrible 13 months as our hearts suffered one blow after another.

My very first novel Resurrection, Inc. was inspired by the Rush album Grace Under Pressure, and when the book was published, I mailed signed copies to Mercury Records, knowing it was impossible for a new author to expect a reply from a huge rock star. Lo and behold, about a year later I received a 7-page single-spaced letter from Neil Peart. He had read and loved Resurrection, Inc. and that started a correspondence and friendship that lasted more than three decades. 
— Read on mailchi.mp/wordfire/the-measure-of-a-life-remembering-neil-peart-3356197