NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Peter Yarrow, the singer, songwriter, and activist who rose to fame as a member of the legendary folk group Peter, Paul & Mary, has died at the age of 86.
His longtime publicist, Ken Sunshine, confirmed Yarrow’s passing to The New York Times, stating that the cause of death was bladder cancer, which he had been battling for four years.
Born in Manhattan and raised in Rhode Island, Yarrow attended Cornell University, initially enrolling in the physics program before switching majors. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1959.
While at Cornell, Yarrow developed an interest in folk music. After graduating, he began performing at folk clubs and events around New York City and the region, including the Newport Folk Festival.
In 1961, he joined Mary Travers and Noel Paul Stookey to form Peter, Paul & Mary. The group made their debut in the folk world at The Bitter End, an influential folk club in Greenwich Village.
Their self-titled debut album was released in 1962 and reached #1 on the Billboard Pop charts, powered by hits such as “500 Miles,” “If I Had a Hammer,” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”
In 1963, the group released their signature hit, “Puff, the Magic Dragon.” Based on a poem written by Yarrow’s classmate Leonard Lipton, the song featured music composed by Yarrow.
The group’s other notable hits included “I Dig Rock and Roll Music,” “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” and “Day Is Done.” Peter, Paul & Mary disbanded in 1970 but left an enduring legacy in the folk music world.
That same year, Yarrow was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old fan and served three months of a 1–3 year prison sentence. He later apologized for the incident, describing it as a “real indiscretion” and expressing regret. In 1981, he was pardoned by U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
In addition to his music career, Yarrow was deeply committed to social activism. Alongside Travers and Stookey, the trio participated in the civil rights marches with Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, and Washington, D.C., and they were active in anti-war protests opposing the Vietnam War.
In 2000, Yarrow launched Operation Respect, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing bullying in schools. He was also an advocate for freeing Soviet Jewry and supported various other social causes.
In his later years, Yarrow continued to perform, often alongside his daughter, Bethany Yarrow, and cellist Rufus Cappadocia in a trio known as Peter, Bethany, and Rufus.
