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Rush drummer Neil Peart dies at 67

Rick Massimo | rmassimo@wtop.com

January 10, 2020, 5:20 PM

Neil Peart
FILE – This June 25, 2015 file photo shows Neil Peart of the band Rush performing in concert during their R40 Live: 40th Anniversary Tour in Philadelphia. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File)

Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist for the groundbreaking Canadian band Rush, has died at 67 of brain cancer, the band said in a statement Friday.

“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 glioblastoma, the band posted to Twitter.

Glioblastoma is the same form of brain cancer that killed Sens. Edward Kennedy and John McCain.

The band said anyone wishing to express their condolences could donate to a cancer charity of their choice.

Peart joined Rush in 1974, after their first album, and quickly became one of the most idolized drummers in rock music for his ability to not only keep the best over the odd (sometimes very odd) time signatures, but play flourishes atop them that managed to feel natural. Despite the music’s complexity, “he keeps the throb, which is the important thing,” Police drummer Stewart Copeland told Rolling Stone in 2015, the year of Rush’s final tour.

Peart told the magazine that he kept his 16-year-old self in mind when making decisions in life. “It’s about being your own hero,” he said. “I set out to never betray the values that 16-year-old had, to never sell out, to never bow to the man. A compromise is what I can never accept.”

Peart, alongside bandmates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, and honored for combining “the signature traits of progressive rock with a proto typical heavy-metal sound.”

Their best-known songs include “Tom Sawyer,” “The Big Money” and “The Spirit of Radio.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rick Massimo

Rick Massimo came to WTOP, and to Washington, in 2013 after having lived in Providence, R.I., since he was a child. He's the author of "A Walking Tour of the Georgetown Set" and "I Got a Song: A History of the Newport Folk Festival."

rmassimo@wtop.com

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In this Jan. 22, 2018 file photo, actor Irrfan Khan poses for a portrait to promote the film “Puzzle” during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. He appeared in films such as “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Life of Pi” and “Jurassic World.” Khan died Wednesday, April 29, 2020, after being admitted to a hospital with a colon infection. He was 53. (AP Photo/Taylor Jewell/Invision, File)
AP Photo/Taylor Jewell/Invision, File
In this June 5, 1989, file photo, The Statler Brothers, from left, Harold Reid, Don Reid, Phil Balsley and Jimmy Fortune, perform at the 23rd annual Music City News Country Awards show in Nashville, Tenn. Harold Reid, who sang bass for the Grammy-winning country group The Statler Brothers, died Friday, April 24, 2020, after a long battle with kidney failure. He was 80. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File
<p>Shirley Knight, winner of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a miniseries or special, holds the Emmy she won for &#8220;Indictment: The McMartin Trial,&#8221; and another Emmy for Judy Davis who also won Outstanding Actress in a miniseries or special for &#8220;Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story,&#8221; at the 47th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony Sunday, Sept. 10, 1995, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. Davis was not present at the ceremonies. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)</p>
Shirley Knight, winner of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a miniseries or special, holds the Emmy she won for “Indictment: The McMartin Trial,” and another Emmy for Judy Davis who also won Outstanding Actress in a miniseries or special for “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story,” at the 47th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony Sunday, Sept. 10, 1995, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. Knight died April 22, 2020 at age 83. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
AP Photo/Reed Saxon
This 1990 file photo shows director of photography Allen Daviau speaking during an interview in Los Angeles. Daviau, who shot three of Steven Spielberg’s films including “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” died Tuesday, April 14, 2020 at age 77. (AP Photo/Julie Markes, FIle)
AP Photo/Julie Markes, FIle
In this June 6, 1999 file photo, actor Brian Dennehy, left, applauds playwright, Arthur Miller, before awarding him the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tony Awards in New York. Dennehy, the burly actor who started in films and later in his career won plaudits for his stage work in plays, died of natural causes on Wednesday, April 15, 2020 in New Haven, Conn. He was 81. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File
Longtime WWE ring announcer Howard Finkel died April 16. He was 69. (YouTube)

Longtime WWE ring announcer Howard Finkel died April 16. He was 69. (YouTube)

YouTube
Mort Drucker, whose distinctive caricatures of celebrities appeared in the pages of Mad Magazine for more than five decades, has died, according to tweets from the magazine and CNN’s Jake Tapper. Drucker was 91. (Getty Images/Bernard Weil)
Getty Images/Bernard Weil
This 1985 image released by NBC shows executive producer Thomas L. Miller. Miller, who produced a string of hit TV comedies included “Full House” and “Perfect Strangers” before beginning a new chapter as a Tony Award-winning theater producer, has died. He was 79. Miller died Sunday in Salisbury, Connecticut, from complications of heart disease, a spokeswoman for Miller’s family said Wednesday. (Frank Carroll/NBCU Photo Bank via AP)
Frank Carroll/NBCU Photo Bank via AP
FILE – This Sept. 24, 1984 file photo shows Allen Garfield at the screening for “Irreconcilable Differences” in Los Angeles. Garfield, the veteran character actor who was a vital player in classic 1970s films like “The Conversation” and “Nashville,” died Tuesday, April 7, 2020, in Los Angeles due to complications from COVID-19.. He was 80. (AP Photo/Scott Harms, File)
AP Photo/Scott Harms, File
FILE – In this Sept. 11, 2019 file photo, John Prine accepts the Album of the Year award at the Americana Honors & Awards show in Nashville, Tenn. Prine died Tuesday, April 7, 2020, from complications of the coronavirus. He was 73.
In this  file photo dated March 25, 1964, British actor Sean Connery kisses actress Honor Blackman during a party at Pinewood Film Studios, in Iver Heath, England. Blackman, the actor best-known for playing Bond girl Pussy Galore, hasdied of natural causes unrelated to coronavirus, aged 94, according to an announcement Monday April 6, 2020. (AP Photo)
AP Photo
Actress Shirley Douglas, mother of Kiefer Sutherland, died April 5. She was 86. (Getty Images/George Pimentel)
Getty Images/George Pimentel
In this June 21, 2006 file photo, singer-songwriter Bill Withers poses in his office in Beverly Hills, Calif. Withers, who wrote and sang a string of soulful songs in the 1970s that have stood the test of time, including “Lean On Me,” “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” died in Los Angeles from heart complications on Monday, March 30, 2020. He was 81. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File
This April 28, 2019, file photo, shows Ellis Marsalis during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Wednesday, April 1, 2020, that Marsalis has died. He was 85. (AP Photo/Sophia Germer, File)
AP Photo/Sophia Germer, File
This Sept. 14, 2019 file photo shows Adam Schlesinger, winner of the awards for outstanding original music and lyrics for “Crazy Ex Girlfriend,” in the press room at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. Schlesinger, an Emmy and Grammy winning musician and songwriter known for his band Fountains of Wayne and his songwriting on the TV show “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” has died from coronavirus at age 51. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File
Joe Diffie performs at "Luke Combs Joins the Grand Ole Opry Family" at Grand Ole Opry on Tuesday, July 16, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Al Wagner/Invision/AP)
Joe Diffie performs at “Luke Combs Joins the Grand Ole Opry Family” at Grand Ole Opry on Tuesday, July 16, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Al Wagner/Invision/AP)
Photo by Al Wagner/Invision/AP
<p>Joseph Lowery died March 27, 2020 at age 98.</p>
ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 04: Joseph Lowery and producer Will Packer onstage at 96th Birthday Celebration For Dr. Joseph Lowery at Rialto Center for the Arts on October 4, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Mark Blum, a veteran stage actor known for films including “Desperately Seeking Susan” and “Crocodile Dundee,” has died due to complications from Covid-19. He was 69. (Courtesy CNN)
Courtesy CNN
This May 14, 2006 file photo shows Tony Award winning playwright Terrence McNally in front of the Philadelphia Theater Company in Philadelphia. McNally, one of America’s great playwrights whose prolific career included winning Tony Awards for the plays “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and “Master Class” and the musicals “Ragtime” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” died Tuesday, March 24, 2020, of complications from the coronavirus. He was 81. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr)
AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr
FILE – In this Oct. 24, 2017 file photo, Kenny Rogers poses with his star on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville, Tenn. Rogers, whose husky voice carried him as a TV and music star across genres, died at 81 on March 20, a representative said. (AP/Mark Humphrey)
AP/Mark Humphrey
Lyle Waggoner arrives at the “The Carol Burnett 50th Anniversary Special” at the CBS Television City on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017, in Los Angeles. Waggoner died March 17, 2020. He was 84. (Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP/Willy Sanjuan)
Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP/Willy Sanjuan
In this Oct. 2, 2008 file photo, actor Stuart Whitman arrives at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival black-tie gala fundraiser in Santa Barbara, Calif. Whitman, who appeared in hundreds of films and television shows, died Monday in Montecito, Calif. at 92.
FILE – In this Feb.5, 2018 file photo, Tonie Marshall poses during a photocall prior to the 23rd Lumieres awards ceremony in Paris. French-American filmmaker and actress Tonie Marshall, who remained the only female director to ever win a French Cesar award, has died. She was 68.
FILE – In this Friday, Oct. 16, 2015 file photo, actor Max Von Sydow attends the Lumiere Award ceremony of the 7th Lumiere Festival in Lyon, central France. Max von Sydow, the self-described “shy boy”-turned-actor who played the priest in the horror classic “The Exorcist,” has died. He was 90, it was reported on Monday, March 9, 2020. He was known to art house audiences through his work with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. But it was his role as the devil-evicting priest in William Friedkin’s controversial 1973 film “The Exorcist” that brought him to international attention.
Former CNN anchor Bobbie Battista passed away on the morning of Tuesday, March 3, 2020, after a four-year battle with cervical cancer, a family spokeswoman said. She was 67. (AP/RIC FELD)
AP/RIC FELD
“Inside the Actor’s Studio” host James Lipton is 89 on Sept. 19. Here, Lipton speaks at the RUSH Philanthropic Arts Foundation’s Art for Life Benefit at Fairview Farms in Water Mill on Saturday, July 18, 2015, in New York. Lipton died March 2, 2020 at age 93. (Scott Roth/Invision/AP/Scott Roth)
Scott Roth/Invision/AP/Scott Roth
This Oct. 22, 1996 file photo shows co-creators of “The Young And The Restless,” Lee Phillip Bell, left, and her husband William J. Bell Sr. standing by a celebratory cake marking the 6000th episode of the daytime soap opera series in Los Angeles. Lee Phillip Bell, who co-created “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful” and hosted her own daytime talk show in Chicago for 33 years, died Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020 at her home in Los Angeles. She was 91.
FILE – In this Feb. 26, 2017, file photo, Katherine Johnson, the inspiration for the film, “Hidden Figures,” poses in the press room at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Johnson died Feb. 24, 2020.
In this Jan. 14, 2012 file photo, former model and restaurateur B. Smith arrives at the BET Honors red carpet in the Warner Theatre in Washington. Smith died Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, at her Long Island, New York, home, after battling early onset Alzheimer’s disease, according to a family statement on social media. She was 70.
The up-and-coming rapper known as Pop Smoke was fatally shot during a break-in early Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2020, at a Hollywood Hills home, the Los Angeles Times reported. (WireImage/Johnny Nunez)
WireImage/Johnny Nunez
In this June 2, 1996, file photo, Zoe Caldwell holds her award for Leading Actress in a Play for her role in “Master Class” at the 50th Annual Tony Awards in New York. Caldwell, a four-time Tony Award winner famous for portraying larger-than-life characters, has died. Her son Charlie Whitehead said Caldwell died peacefully Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, at her home in Pound Ridge, New York. She was 86. Whitehead said her death was due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File)
AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File
Actress Ja’Net Dubois attends the Black Business Association’s Salute to “Black History Awards Dinner” at California African American Museum on February 28, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Dubois died Feb. 18 at age 74. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images)
Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images
Actress Kellye Nakahara Wallet died Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. She famously played Nurse Kellye in “M*A*S*H,” which ran from 1972-1983. In this 2009 photo, she is seen arriving at the 7th Annual TV Land Awards held at Gibson Amphitheatre on April 19, 2009 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
FILE – In this Nov. 18, 2013 file photo, Lynn Cohen arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” at Nokia Theatre LA Live. Cohen, an actress best known for playing the plainspoken housekeeper and nanny Magda in “Sex and the City,” has died. She was 86. Cohen died Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 in New York City, said her manager, Josh Pultz. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
FILE – In this file photo dated Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011, British TV personality Caroline Flack arrives for the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year Awards in London. The host controversial reality TV show “Love Island,” has died aged 40, according to a statement from her family Saturday Feb. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Jonathan Short, FILE)
AP Photo/Jonathan Short, FILE
In this March 1993 file photo, Joseph Shabalala, front left, founder of South Africa’s Ladysmith Black Mambazo, stands with the group and Paul Simon, front right, as they pose for a photograph. The founder of the South African multi-Grammy-Award-winning music group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Joseph Shabalala, has died at age 78. Shabalala died at a hospital in the capital Pretoria Tuesday Feb. 11, 2020, his family confirmed to local media. (AP Photo/File)
AP Photo/File
FILE – In this June 13, 2013, file photo, actor Robert Conrad poses for photographers during the closing ceremony of the 2013 Monte Carlo Television Festival, in Monaco. Conrad, the rugged, contentious actor who starred in the hugely popular 1960s television series “Hawaiian Eye” and “The Wild, Wild West,” has died at age 84. A family spokesperson says the actor died Saturday morning, Feb. 8, 2020, in Malibu, Calif., from heart failure.
In this April 25, 1997, file photo, Author Roger Kahn, author of the bestseller “The Boys of Summer”, poses at his home in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. Kahn, the writer who wove memoir and baseball and touched millions of readers through his romantic account of the Brooklyn Dodgers died Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, at a nursing facility in Mamaroneck, N.Y., according to his son Gordon Kahn. He was 92.
Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas has died at age 103 on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. His son, actor Michael Douglas, wrote in an Instagram post: “Kirk’s life was well-lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet.” (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this undated file photo shows Willie Wood of the Green Bay Packers. Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Wood, captain of the 1959 USC football team who played in the first 2 Super Bowls, died Monday, Feb. 3, 2020 of natural causes in Washington, D.C. He was 83.
In this June 3, 2004 file photograph, author Mary Higgins Clark poses in her home in Saddle River, N.J. Clark, the tireless and long-reigning “Queen of Suspense” whose tales of women beating the odds made her one of the world’s most popular writers, died Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, at age 92. Clark’s publisher, Simon & Schuster, announced that Clark died in Naples, Fla, of natural causes.
Bob Shane, the last surviving original member of the popular folk group the Kingston Trio and the lead singer on its million-selling ballad “Tom Dooley” and many other hits, has died. (AP/Ellis R. Bosworth)
AP/Ellis R. Bosworth
In this April 15, 2014 file photo, Nicholas Parsons poses for the media with his Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) medal given to him by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, Berkshire. British broadcaster Nicholas Parsons, who hosted the witty, wordy radio program “Just a Minute” for more than 50 years, has died at the age of 96. Parson’s agent, Jean Diamond, said he died Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020 morning after a short illness.
In this Nov. 26, 2013 file photo Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant smiles during a media availability before an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards in Washington. The Retired NBA superstar has died in helicopter crash in Southern California, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020.
Jim Lehrer
Moderator Jim Lehrer addresses the audience before the first presidential debate at the University of Denver, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012, in Denver. Lehrer died Jan. 23, 2020. He was 85. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
This Sept. 21, 1986 file photo shows actor John Karlen, center, who portrays the husband of detective Mary Beth Lacey on the TV show “Cagney & Lacey, ” posing with presenters Stacy Keach, left, and Angie Dickinson after Karlen won an Emmy for best supporting actor at the Emmy Awards in Pasadena, Calif. Karlen, known for his roles on the television series “Dark Shadows” and “Cagney & Lacey,” died Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, of congestive heart failure in Burbank, Calif. He was 86.
FILE – This April 24, 2015 file photo shows Terry Jones at a special Tribeca Film Festival screening of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” in New York. Jones was diagnosed in 2015 with a form of dementia that impairs the ability to speak. He died Jan. 22, 2020.
“Mean” Gene Okerlund interviews Rocky “Soul Man” Johnson. Johnson, a WWE Hall of Fame wrestler who became better known as the father of actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, died Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. He was 75.
Neil Peart, the renowned drummer and lyricist from the band Rush, has died. His rep Elliot Mintz said in a statement Friday that he died at his home Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020 in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 67. (Rich Fury/Invision/AP/Rich Fury)
Rich Fury/Invision/AP/Rich Fury
This 1959 file photo shows Edward “Kookie” Byrnes. Edd Byrnes, who played cool-kid Kookie on the hit TV show “77 Sunset Strip,” scored a gold record with a song about his character’s hair-combing obsession and later appeared in the movie “Grease,” has died at age 87. Byrnes died Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, at his home in Santa Monica, Calif., his son, Logan Byrnes, said in a statement.
Buck Henry, the versatile writer, director and character actor who co-wrote and appeared in “The Graduate,” has died in Los Angeles. He was 89. Henry’s wife, Irene Ramp, told The Washington Post that his death was due to a heart attack.
Controversial UK Author Elizabeth Wurtzel wrote “Prozac Nation,” “Bitch” and “The Bitch Rules.” (Corbis via Getty Images/Neville Elder)
Corbis via Getty Images/Neville Elder
FILE – In this Wednesday, May 15, 2013 file photo, NBA Commissioner David Stern takes a question from a reporter during a news conference following an NBA Board of Governors meeting in Dallas. David Stern, who spent 30 years as the NBA’s longest-serving commissioner and oversaw its growth into a global power, has died on New Year’s Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020. He was 77.
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Phil Spector looks on during a hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court in Los Angeles, in this Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, file photo. A San Francisco lawyer says he will represent Phil Spector in his retrial on a murder charge and that he could not be ready to proceed until September. Doron Weinberg told Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler on Friday, Dec. 7, 2007, that he needs five months to review all the material from Spector's first trial. Spector died Jan. 17, 2020 at age 81. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
Yeager
Country star Hal Ketchum died Nov. 20, 2020 at age 67. (YouTube)
AMERICAN IDOL XIII: Austin Auditions: Contestants Tristen Langley (R) and his mother, former contestant Nikki McKibbin, audition in front of the judges on AMERICAN IDOL XIII airing Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)
UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 1970: Photo of Johnny Nash Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
FILE - In this April 29, 2016, file photo, "Forrest Gump" author Winston Groom speaks to students at Jinks Middle School in Panama City, Fla. Groom, the author of the novel "Forrest Gump" that was made into a six-Oscar winning 1994 movie that became a soaring pop culture hit, has died, an Alabama official close to the writer said Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. He was 77. (Andrew Wardlow/News Herald via AP)
Diana Rigg arrives at the 72nd annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 10, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
In this May 26, 1963 file photo, Carl Reiner shows holds two Emmy statuettes presented to him as best comedy writer for the "Dick Van Dyke Show," during the annual Emmy Awards presentation in Los Angeles. Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a “second banana” to Sid Caesar and rose to comedy’s front ranks as creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and straight man to Mel Brooks’ “2000 Year Old Man,” has died, according to reports. Variety reported he died of natural causes on Monday night, June 29, 2020, at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 98. (AP Photo, File)
Members of the original cast of the "Leave It To Beaver" television series pause during filming of an upcoming TV special, "Still The Beaver," in Los Angeles on Dec. 10, 1982. From left to right are Ken Osmond, Tony Dow, Babara Billingsley and Jerry Mathers. Osmond died May 18, 2020. He was 76. (AP Photo/Wally Fong)
Betty Wright, left, and Nicholas Collins attend the Little Dreams Foundation Annual Music Auditions at Estefan Kitchen on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017 in Miami. (Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/Invision/AP)
<p>Shirley Knight, winner of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a miniseries or special, holds the Emmy she won for &#8220;Indictment: The McMartin Trial,&#8221; and another Emmy for Judy Davis who also won Outstanding Actress in a miniseries or special for &#8220;Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story,&#8221; at the 47th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony Sunday, Sept. 10, 1995, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. Davis was not present at the ceremonies. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)</p>
Longtime WWE ring announcer Howard Finkel died April 16. He was 69. (YouTube)
Joe Diffie performs at "Luke Combs Joins the Grand Ole Opry Family" at Grand Ole Opry on Tuesday, July 16, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Al Wagner/Invision/AP)
<p>Joseph Lowery died March 27, 2020 at age 98.</p>
Jim Lehrer
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