Peter Yarrow, best known as one-third of the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, has died at the age of 86. Yarrow, who co-wrote the iconic 'Puff the Magic Dragon,' died Tuesday in New York from bladder cancer. Peter, Paul and Mary achieved great success in the 1960s with hits like 'Blowin' in the Wind' and 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right,' and were prominent voices in the civil rights movement.
Peter Yarrow died Tuesday in New York, publicist Ken Sunshine said. He had been battling bladder cancer Peter Yarrow , the singer-songwriter best known as one-third of Peter, Paul and Mary, the folk-music trio whose impassioned harmonies transfixed millions as they lifted their voices in favor of civil rights and against war, has died. He was 86.
They also brought early exposure to Bob Dylan by turning two of his songs, "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and "Blowin' in the Wind," into Billboard Top 10 hits as they helped lead an American renaissance in folk music. They performed "Blowin' in the Wind" at the 1963 March on Washington at which the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
"I did it for the money because I wanted to wash dishes less and play guitar more," he told the late record company executive Joe Smith. But as he led the class in song, he began to discover the emotional impact music could have on an audience. Stookey, who would use his middle name as a member of the group, happened to be a friend of Travers, who as a teenager had performed and recorded with Pete Seeger and others. Gripped by stage fright, she was reluctant to join the pair at first, changing her mind after she heard how well her contralto voice melded with Yarrow's tenor and Stookey's baritone.
They could also show a soft and poignant side, particularly on "Puff the Magic Dragon," which Yarrow had written during his Cornell years with college friend Leonard Lipton.
PETER YARROW PETER PAUL AND MARY FOLK MUSIC SINGER-SONGWRITER DEATH
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Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary Dies at 86Peter Yarrow, a founding member of the iconic folk-music trio Peter, Paul and Mary, passed away at the age of 86. Known for their politically charged anthems like 'Blowin' in the Wind' and 'Puff the Magic Dragon', the group became synonymous with the American folk music revival of the 1960s.
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Peter Yarrow of folk-music trio Peter, Paul and Mary dies at 86The singer-songwriter and social activist best known as one-third of the folk-music group Peter, Paul and Mary, has died at age 86.
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Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary Dies at 86Peter Yarrow, the singer-songwriter best known as one-third of the folk-music trio Peter, Paul and Mary, has died at the age of 86.
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