Kobe Bryant died tragically in a helicopter crash on 01/26/2020 along with his 13 year old daughter and 7 other people on board.
Neil Peart died from an aggressive form of brain cancer on 01/07/2020. His then 19 year old daughter died in a car accident in August 1997 and his wife 10 months later from cancer.
"So?"
"And?"
"I don't watch basketball."
"I don't listen to prog rock."
"I never even heard of him!"
"How does this affect me?"
"Why should I care?"
First, some facts:
Kobe Bryant was an amazing basketball player. Among the best. During his time in the NBA with the L.A. Lakers, he earned many stats in the top 10 of the NBA. He is considered to be one of the best basketball players of all time.
Neil Peart was an amazing prog rock drummer. Among the best. During his time with Rush, he
recorded over a dozen albums and won numerous "best drummer" awards. He is considered to be one of the best drummers of all time.
Two gods among men. Beyond raw talent, relentless practice, and an obsession with perfection, what made these men tick? Both men traveled internationally at a young age, Kobe to Italy, Peart to England. Both would return home shortly, sans college education and launch their careers.
Swiftly rising to the top in their respective careers, expanding to numerous different areas, but both branched out to literary careers. Kobe Bryant wrote The Mamba Mentality: How I Play, the mamba referring to the snake which Bryant uses as a metaphor for his speed and precision on the court. Neil Peart wrote several works of fiction and non-fiction, from Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road - an account of his experience riding his motorcycle across North America following the loss of his daughter and wife, to an expanded back story of Rush's last album Clockwork Angels with noted science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson.
Neither man was perfect, as you can research for yourself, but who among us is? This is about the good stuff.
Both men worked hard to become the best in the world at their jobs, to the point where millions of people looked up to them. They are the kind of people who are "always there" to point to, to think about, to talk about with friends or even strangers.
"Remember when Kobe went over 60 on the Knicks?"
"Remember that sick solo Neil Peart played at The Garden State Arts Center back in 97?"
Go ahead and google "Top 5 NBA players of all time" and "Top 5 drummers of all time" and look whose picture comes up first (as of this writing).
It goes without saying that it is sad to see a beloved icon or celebrity die. But there is something more that hits the core of you when that person is one of the best of all time; a hero - your hero.
That is why we should all care about Kobe and Neil.
Hail the victorious dead!
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