Classic Rock Drummer Rocket Norton Has Died

Guitarist and drummer for Prism, Gary Wanstall, better known as Rocket Norton, passed away last week after a battle with cancer that lasted two years. He was 73. According to Bill Allman, president of the British Columbia Entertainment Hall of Fame, Wanstall died in Vancouver, Canada on April 5. 

“He was a truly remarkable human being, and you would follow him anywhere,” Allman told CBC News. “His musical contributions are way up there, but he was also an incredibly energetic philanthropist.” During his lengthy and distinguished musical career, Allman said, Wanstall was critically acclaimed.

An official release issued by the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame stated that the musician, who was born in Chilliwack, British Columbia, sought to learn the drums as a teenager but adopted the stage name Rocket Norton following the formation of the psychedelic band Seed of Time in 1965. 

However, Allman said his greatest claim to fame is his role as a drummer for the rock band Prism. “I [was the] right age [at the time]…I was blasting Prism away in my car,” he said. In addition to their two million record sales, the band has also produced hits such as Young and Restless and Armageddon. 

In 2023, Rocket Norton, Nickleback, and Loverboy were inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame and Prism was honored with a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame. During the past few years, the Hall of Famer has made headlines due to his fundraising efforts for cancer research and care, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. Following a cancer diagnosis in 2022, Wanstall raised more than $600,000 for the B.C. Cancer Foundation by holding two classic rock concerts in Coquitlam and Vancouver. The foundation has established a memorial page and fundraiser in the drummer’s memory. 

“He always had big ideas. He always had the energy to carry them out,” Allman said. “That persistence saw him through his illness.” He added, “And in the face of something that would have made most people cry and crawl under their bed, he said, ‘No, I’m gonna do some good in this war.’ And he really did.”