Grammy-Nominated Song Satirist, Tom Lehrer, Dead at 97

Tom Lehrer has died. The song satirist, who gained a cult following after he stopped making music, died at his Cambridge, Massachusetts, home on July 26, his longtime friend, David Herder, told The Associated Press. Lehrer was 97.

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Herder did not provide a cause of death to the outlet, and no other details about Lehrer’s death have been made available.

Lehrer was a mathematics prodigy, having entered Harvard at 15 and earned a degree from the university three years later, the AP reported. He began making music while at the famed institution in the ’50s.

His best-known tracks include “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” “The Vatican Rag,” and “The Old Dope Peddler,” the latter of which was once sampled by 2 Chainz.

His live album, An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer, was nominated for a GRAMMY for best comedy performance (musical) in 1960.

Lehrer was cited as influence by songwriters including Randy Newman, Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, and “Weird Al” Yankovic. The latter artist took to social media to pay tribute to Lehrer after his death.

“My last living musical hero is still my hero but unfortunately no longer living,” Yankovic wrote on Instagram. “RIP to the great, great Mr. Tom Lehrer.”

Tom Lehrer on Why He Quit Music

In all, Lehrer penned and released about three dozen songs over the course of his life. He also wrote music for television shows including That Was the Week That Was and The Electric Company. He comically covered topics including racism, politics, and religion through his work.

“When I got a funny idea for a song, I wrote it. And if I didn’t, I didn’t,” Lehrer told the AP in 2000. “I wasn’t like a real writer who would sit down and put a piece of paper in the typewriter. And when I quit writing, I just quit… It wasn’t like I had writer’s block.”

In the same interview, Lehrer revealed why he ultimately didn’t choose to pursue music and touring.

“I enjoyed it up to a point,” he told the outlet. “But to me, going out and performing the concert every night when it was all available on record would be like a novelist going out and reading his novel every night.”

Lehrer eventually returned to teaching math full-time at institutions including Harvard and the University of California at Santa Cruz.

In 2020, Lehrer placed his entire catalog in the public domain, meaning anyone can enjoy and use his music free of charge.

“In short, I no longer retain any rights to any of my songs,” a disclaimer on his website read. “So help yourselves, and don’t send me any money.”

Photo by Anthony Pidgeon/Redferns