John Rutsey

John Rutsey (born 1953) founding member of Rush along with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. He was the band's drummer from spring 1968 to July, 1974. Rutsey played only on the eponymous debut album, after which he quit the band, citing musical and health reasons. He's rumored to still be friends with Alex Lifeson.

Why did John Rutsey leave the band?

He quit because he had different ideas about the band's future than Alex and Geddy did, and he just wasn't excited about playing in Rush any more. His diabetes were also a strong argument against extended tours.

Whatever happened to John Rutsey?

"John's still around. I see John quite often. He gave up playing shortly after he left the band and went into bodybuilding. 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." - Alex Lifeson, in the 2/6/89 "Rockline" interview

-taken from a usenet FAQ