Peter Yarrow of folk icons Peter, Paul & Mary died on Tuesday at his home on NYC’s Upper West Side after being diagnosed with bladder cancer four years ago. He was 86. His family wrote this statement on December 5, asking people to submit remembrances:
As you may know, our beloved father Peter Yarrow has been battling cancer for some time. 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. 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.
Born and raised in Manhattan, Yarrow came up through the city’s folk scene and formed Peter Paul & Mary with Paul Stookey and Mary Travers in 1961. While the trio was well known for their interpretations of other people’s songs, Yarrow co-wrote or wrote many of their originals, including “Puff the Magic Dragon” and “Day is Done.” He and the band were also a social activists, opposing the Vietnam War and appearing at the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.
Mary Travers died in 2009, leaving Paul Stooky as the group’s surviving member. Rest in peace, Peter. Your music lives on.