Inside Neil Peart's Private Family Life: Photos, Tributes, and Memories of His Daughters
Long before arena crowds chanted his name, Peart committed himself to keeping his family out of the tabloids. In 1978, his common-law partner Jacqueline Taylor gave birth to their daughter, Selena Taylor. While Rush toured the globe through the late 1970s and 1980s, Peart ensured Selena grew up grounded in Toronto, shielded from backstage madness. He took immense pride in her sharp wit, academic curiosity, and burgeoning independence as she entered young adulthood.
That world shattered on August 10, 1997. Selena, just 19 years old, was driving from Toronto to university in Montreal when her car rolled over on Highway 401 near Brighton, Ontario. She died instantly at the scene. The shock paralyzed Peart. Ten months later, Jacqueline Taylor succumbed to terminal cancer, a decline Peart openly described as death from a broken heart. In less than a year, Peart found his entire nuclear family wiped out, prompting him to tell his bandmates to consider him retired.
