Bill Berry

Career context

American drummer (born 1958)

1904–1972

William Thomas Berry is an American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments, including guitar, bass guitar and piano, both for songwriting and on R.E.M. albums. In 1995, Berry suffered a ruptured cerebral aneurysm onstage and collapsed. After a successful recovery, he left the music industry two years later to become a farmer, and has since maintained a low profile, making sporadic reunions with R.E.M. and appearing on other artists' recordings. His departure made him the only member of the band not to remain with them during their entire run. Berry eventually returned to the industry in 2022.