US Edition
American musical satirist Tom Lehrer dies at 97, US media report
- On July 26, 2025, Tom Lehrer passed away at his Cambridge, Massachusetts home, confirmed by longtime friend David Herder, at age 97.
- Born in New York City on April 9, 1928, Lehrer progressed to teaching at Harvard University, MIT, and UC Santa Cruz, influencing songwriters like Randy Newman and 'Weird Al' Yankovic.
- Known for his incisive darkly comedic style, Tom Lehrer’s 1953 debut album sold 10,000 copies, and musicologist Barry Hansen called him 'Tom Lehrer is the most brilliant song satirist ever recorded.'
- No cause of death was provided, and 'Weird Al' Yankovic hailed him as `living musical hero` in Sunday tributes.
- Despite retiring nearly 50 years ago, Tom Lehrer’s influence endures, and as of July 2025 his public domain website remains accessible.
148 Articles
148 Articles
Tom Lehrer, Army Vet, Song Satirist and Mathematician, Dies at 97
Tom Lehrer, the popular song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died. He was 97.
He sang about Alma Mahler-Werfel and the atomic bomb, chemical elements and dove poisoning: The rhyme-strong American singer/songwriter Tom Lehrer, in the main profession of mathematician, died 97 years old.
Tom Lehrer Dies: Musical Comedy Legend & ‘That Was The Week That Was’ Composer Was 97
Tom Lehrer, the musical comedy legend, mathematician and political satirist, has died aged 97. He passed away at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, according to his longtime friend David Herder. No cause of death was given. Lehrer was much beloved for his humorous and often darkly satiric musical numbers such as ‘Poisoning Pigeons in the Park’ and ‘The Vatican Rag’, which poked fun at mid-21st Century America and the wider world, reaching…
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