Bill Berry rose to fame as the iconic drummer and co-founder of one of the most influential rock bands of the 1980s.
Born on July 31, 1958, in Duluth, Minn., Berry celebrates his 68th birthday in 2026. The musician, who started playing the drums at just nine years old, is best known for being the co-founder of R.E.M. alongside lead vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, and bassist Mike Mills.
R.E.M. released its first single, "Radio Free Europe," in 1981. The track shaped the band's career and led to the four-piece signing a record deal with I.R.S. Records. Two years later, in 1983, the debut album, Murmur, was released, achieving critical acclaim and peaking at No. 36 on the Billboard 200.
The band's first chart-topping album, 1991's Out of Time, featured the hit single "Losing My Religion." At the 1992 Grammy Awards, R.E.M. won in three categories, with the album taking home the award for "Best Alternative Music Album" and "Losing My Religion" winning "Best Music Video" and "Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals".
In 1995, Berry suffered from a ruptured brain aneurysm on stage during a concert in Switzerland.
"It felt like a bowling ball hit me in the head," Berry recalled to theLos Angeles Timessome time after the incident. "There wasn't any warning. I was just singing the falsetto part on ‘Tongue’ when it happened."
Though the incident wasn’t cited as the direct reason behind his decision to quit R.E.M., three years later, in 1997, his priorities began to change.
"I’ve been playing the drums since age nine,” Berry said in an official statement from Warner Bros, per Rolling Stone. "I’m at a point in my life where my priorities have shifted. I loved my 17 years with R.E.M. but I’m ready to … move on to a different phase of my life."
After leaving the band and touring life behind, Berry has kept a low profile, working on his farm in Georgia and enjoying life as a retired musician.
Berry was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside Stipe, Buck and Mills in 2007, reuniting with the band for the ceremony performance.
Related: Grammy-Winning Drummer and Original Member of 2000s Rock Band Turns 48
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