Legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker passed away earlier today at the age of 80. Cream was a major influence on Rush, and Neil Peart routinely cited Baker as one of his biggest drum influences. Peart appeared in Jay Bulger's 2013 documentary on Ginger Baker - Beware of Mr. Baker - and had the following to say:

"He was really at the forefront of a complete revolution of rock. It is hard to find fault with the notion he was the pioneer of a rock drummer. There was no context for him, there was no archetype. He is the archetype. Ginger Baker's most notable achievement that should be recognized is the first rock drum solo. And me as a 15 year old kid at the time was `yeah, yeah, that's the rock drummer I want to be!'" - Neil Peart

Geddy Lee posted the following tribute to Ginger Baker to his Instagram earlier today:

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As a young musician few drummers stood taller or were a bigger musical influence than Ginger Baker...I will never forget the awesomeness of seeing him perform with Cream at Massey Hall on June 5 1968 along side the late great Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton. He was one of Rock's first virtuoso drummers and his incredible legacy lives on. Sincere condolences to Ginger's family, friends and fans. 📷: Nash the Slash Massey Hall June 5, 1968 . #ripgingerbaker #gingerbaker #cream #masseyhall

A post shared by Geddy Lee (@geddyimages) on Oct 6, 2019 at 11:50am PDT

RIP.