Grammy Award-winning musician Peter Yarrow, best known for his work on “Peter, Paul and Mary,” died on January 7th at the age of 86 from bladder cancer.
The singer-songwriter was best known for legendary hits such as “Puff the Magic Dragon,” as well as covers such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “On a Jet Plane.” He is remembered as a beloved member of the famous folk group that left a lasting mark on the music world. Yarrow died at his home in New York City. According to To people.
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 23: Peter Yarrow attends the New York premiere of “While We Are Young” at the Paris Theater on March 23, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Cambris/Getty Images)
Yarrow’s family announced that his health was deteriorating and suggested he may not have much time left in a heartbreaking memorial. shared by Instagram in December.
His children, Christopher and Bethany, wrote: “He was generous, driven by a cause, and left doctors in awe of his resilience as he continued to live his life.”
“It has been a long road and he was a strong dragon, but now he is very weak and at 86 years old his dragon days are over,” they said. They went on to ask fans to share their tributes to their father.
The family spoke about the personal side of the famous singer.
“There is Peter Yarrow, a legendary ethnic activist, and there is a deeply caring man who changed the lives of so many people in very personal ways,” they said.
Peter, Paul and Mary are best known for their songs “Day is Done” and “Light One Candle,” and their cover of John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane” reached number one on the charts.
They famously recorded a popular cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which they performed at Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington in 1963.
The folk group has earned many accolades over their decades-long career, including five Grammy Awards, six Top 10 hits, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The band disbanded in 1970.
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 9: Peter Yarrow performs at City Vineyards in New York City on January 9, 2018. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images)
Off stage, Yarrow was a passionate activist. He organized peace concerts to protest the Vietnam War and was an advocate for children and hospice patients.
In 1996, he founded the Save One Child Foundation, an organization that provides free interventional radiology and neurosurgical treatments to children. Yarrow also founded the anti-bullying education nonprofit Operation Respect in 1999.
Fans and loved ones took to social media to share their grief and remember a talented star who gave much of his talent to the world of music and much of his heart to the community. (Related: Creator of beloved children’s series ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ dies at 81)
Yarrow is survived by his wife Marybeth McCarthy, son Christopher, daughter Bethany, and granddaughter.
