Peter Yarrow, folk singer of Peter, Paul and Mary fame, dies at 86

Folk singer Peter Yarrow – author of the timeless classic “Puff the Magic Dragon” and one third of the legendary 1960s trio Peter, Paul and Mary – died Tuesday, a family representative said.

He was 86 years old and was diagnosed with bladder cancer four years ago.

Yarrow died in New York with his loved ones by his side, publicist Ken Sunshine confirmed to NBC News.

“Our fearless dragon is tired and has entered the final chapter of his magnificent life. The world knows Peter Yarrow, the iconic folk activist, but the human being behind the legend is every bit as generous, creative, passionate, playful and wise as his words suggest,” his daughter Bethany Yarrow said in a statement.

Yarrow’s death follows the 2009 death of Mary Travers, 72, leaving Noel Paul Stookey, 87, as the last surviving member of Peter, Paul and Mary.

The trio’s songs were part of the soundtrack of the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements. Yarrow co-wrote the group’s most enduring song, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” based on a poem by the late Lenny Lipton.

The trio joined other notable artists of the era, including Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, at the March on Washington in 1963, when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

They came to Washington that day at the invitation of Harry Belafonte.

“At the time, the country took a pledge of allegiance, ‘With liberty and justice for all,’ but that was stupid because it wasn’t for everyone,” Yarrow would say years later .

“People of color didn’t have justice. They didn’t have freedom. They couldn’t vote. In Washington, D.C., if you were a person of color, you couldn’t use public restrooms. You couldn’t Couldn’t use the water fountain unless it said “for colored people only”. So when Peter, Paul and Mary were approached by Harry Belafonte, we of course said yes. to sing what we sang.

Other hits for the trio included “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “Leaving On A Jet Plane”, “Lemon Tree” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”.

Stookey said growing up as an only child, he never knew what it was like to have a brother until meeting Yarrow. They were each other’s best men at their weddings.

“He was a loving ‘uncle’ to my three daughters. And, although his comfort in the city and my love of the country tended to distance us geographically, our different perspectives were often celebrated in our friendship and our music,” said Stookey. in a statement.

“I was five months older than Peter – who became my creative, irrepressible, spontaneous and musical little brother – but at the same time I learned to be grateful and love a person’s wisdom and inspiration mature beyond his years advice he shared with me as an older brother Politically savvy and emotionally vulnerable, perhaps Peter was the two brothers I never had…and I will miss him deeply. both.

Yarrow remained relatively quiet later in life, following his conviction in 1970 for molesting a 14-year-old girl in a Washington, D.C. hotel room in 1969.

He spent three months behind bars and was later pardoned by President Jimmy Carter just before his term ended in 1981.

The assault permanently stained Yarrow’s reputation, particularly during the Me Too era, as he was regularly disinvited from events once his name became known as a guest performer.

Yarrow did not dispute his actions.

“I fully support current movements demanding equal rights for all and refusing to allow abuse and harm to continue – most especially of a sexual nature, of which I am, with great sadness, guilty,” Yarrow said in a statement to the New York Times. , following his disinvitation to a 2019 festival in Binghamton, New York.

“I do not seek to minimize or excuse what I have done and I cannot adequately express my apologies and sorrow for the pain and hurt I have caused in this regard.”

Yarrow is survived by his wife Marybeth, son Christopher, daughter Bethany and granddaughter Valentina.

Yarrow’s family asked fans to make donations, in his honor, to the non-profit anti-bullying campaign Operation Respect.

“Driven by a deep belief that a more compassionate and respectful world is possible, my father lived a cause-driven life full of love and purpose,” said Bethany Yarrow. “He always believed, with all his heart, that singing together could change the world. Please don’t stop believing in magical dragons. Hope dies when we stop believing, stop caring and let’s stop singing.”