John Rutsey, the drummer who played on Rush’s self-titled debut album, died this weekend at the age of 55. The band’s management company made the announcement yesterday, but cause of death has not yet been specified. Rutsey did suffer from diabetes (the main reason he left Rush in 1974), so it’s possible the disease played a part in his demise. We’ll keep you updated as more details follow. Until then, by way of remembrance, here’s a pic of the trio with Rutsey in the middle.

Update 5/13/08: the source site above is having trouble loading. Similar information on Rutsey’s death can be found at Blabbermouth and BW&BK. [The source links have been changed as of 2022]

Update 5/14/08: still no official word on Rutsey’s cause of death, but Wikipedia is reporting today that he died of a heart attack in his sleep.

Update 5/21/08: Rutsey’s family has confirmed that the drummer died due to complications from diabetes. Donations may be made in Rutsey’s memory to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson remembered Rutsey by saying, “Those years spent in our teens dreaming of one day doing what we continue to do decades later are special….Although our paths diverged many years ago, we smile today, thinking back on those exciting times and remembering John’s wonderful sense of humour and impeccable timing.”