Peter Yarrow, Grammy-Winning Musician of Peter, Paul and Mary Fame, Dies at 86

Mar. 15, 2025

Peter Yarrow, the singer-songwriter and activist whose work in Peter, Paul and Mary made him one of the most beloved folk acts of the 1960s, has died. He was 86.

Yarrow died of bladder cancer on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at his home in New York City, PEOPLE confirms.

“He has kept his doctors in awe at his resilience as he has continued to perform and live life in his own generous and cause-driven way,” his children Christopher and Bethany wroteonlinein December while asking fans to leave living tributes for their father. “It has been a long road and he has been a strong dragon, but right now he is very weak, and, at 86, his dragon days are numbered.”

They continued: “There is Peter Yarrow the folk activist legend, and then there is the man, a deeply compassionate man, who changed the lives of so many people in very personal ways.”

Peter Yarrow attends the “While We’re Young” New York Premiere at Paris Theater on March 23, 2015 in New York City.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Yarrow was first moved to make purpose-driven music in high school, when he heard The Weavers singing at Carnegie Hall, he said on hiswebsite.

American singer and songwriter Peter Yarrow performing at the Newport Folk Festival at Freebody Park on Rhode Island, USA, 23rd-26th July 1964.Gai Terrell/Redferns/Getty

Gai Terrell/Redferns/Getty

After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in psychology, Yarrow headed to Greenwich Village in New York City, which, at the time, was “a crucible of creativity,” herecalled.

It was there, while playing local coffeehouses as a solo act, that he met future bandmates Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers, and they made their debut as a trio at the Bitter End in 1961. The group released their self-titled debut album in 1962, which topped the charts thanks to hits like “Lemon Tree” and “If I Had a Hammer.”

Paul Stookey, Peter Yarrow and Mary Travers of the folk group ‘Peter, Paul & Mary’ pose for a portrait on April 3, 1964.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

“Each of us has a talent that’s pivotal for the group. Peter is a patient and meticulous worker, especially when it comes to sound quality, and that commitment to excellence is what yields the best possible environment in which to be creative,” said Travers.

Musician Peter Yarrow performs as part of the “Voices on The Hudson” series at City Vineyard on January 12, 2020 in New York City.Al Pereira/Getty

Al Pereira/Getty

In addition to the music, Yarrow was an activist, and the group performed at both the March on Washington and at the Selma-Montgomery march two years later. Over the years, Yarrow organized peace concerts that protested the Vietnam War, and was an advocate for hospice patients and children.

In 1996, he founded the Save One Child fund, which provides free interventional radiological neurosurgical treatment to children, and in 1999, he launched the anti-bullying educational nonprofit Operation Respect.

“People can overcome their differences, and when united, move toward a world of greater fairness and justice,” says Yarrow. “As in folk music, each person has a unique role to play.”

source: people.com