Singer-songwriter Tom Lehrer, a satirist who gained prominence in the 1950s and 1960s for his acerbic take on politics and social life, has died, according to reports. He was 97.
Lehrer died on Saturday, July 26, at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Lehrer’s friend David Herder confirmed to The New York Times and The Associated Press. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Representatives for Lehrer were not available for comment at the time of publication.
Born in New York City to parents Morris and Anna Lehrer in April 1928, Lehrer showed a penchant for musical composition early on. The precocious musician began studying classical piano at the age of 7 and later pivoted to pop music. Around this time, Lehrer began composing show tunes, which would become the basis of his songwriting prowess.
Lehrer displayed a similar level of mastery in his academic life. After graduating from the Loomis Chaffee School, a college preparatory school in Windsor, Connecticut, Lehrer enrolled at Harvard University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.
Lehrer’s musical direction began to take shape during his time at the Ivy League university. He often wrote comic songs to entertain his friends, including the satirical college fight song “Fight Fiercely, Harvard.” Lehrer later put together the “Physical Revue,” a compilation of his academic satire songs named after the scientific journal Physical Review.
Lehrer performed his parodies at coffeehouses and student gatherings throughout the Cambridge, Massachusetts, area. As interest in his music grew among the Harvard University student body, Lehrer went into the studio and recorded his debut album, “Songs by Tom Lehrer.”
Ozzy Osbourne dies: Black Sabbath singer and heavy metal icon was 76
The 10″ LP, recorded in a one-hour studio session that cost $15, quickly sold out its 400-copy pressing and, after several reissues, reportedly went on to sell 350,000 copies. The album was rereleased in 1997 and inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2004.
In a retrospective review of the album for the National Recording Registry, author Ronald L. Smith reflected that Lehrer pioneered the “sick” comedy genre.
“The love song ‘I Hold Your Hand in Mine’ was about a severed hand. ‘Be Prepared’ urged Boy Scouts to pimp their sisters,” Smith wrote. “‘My Home Town’ gleefully recalled a collection of idiots, perverts and the store owner named Dan: ‘He was swell. He killed his mother-in-law and ground her up real well. And sprinkled just a bit over each banana split.'”
Lehrer obtained a master’s degree from Harvard in 1947 and remained in the school’s doctoral program for several years, even amid his burgeoning music career. He also taught at universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his own alma mater, Harvard.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner dies in drowning: ‘Cosby Show’ star was 54
Tom Lehrer becomes satire legend despite short-lived career
Aside from his intellectual and musical pursuits, Lehrer also enjoyed a two-year stint in the U.S. Army after he was drafted in 1955. His military experience, which involved working at the National Security Agency, provided ample inspiration for his songwriting. Lehrer’s sophomore album, 1959’s “More of Tom Lehrer,” featured the track “It Makes a Fellow Proud to Be a Soldier.”
Lehrer released his final album, the live record “That Was the Year That Was,” in 1965, which earned him a top 20 entry on the Billboard 200 chart. Following a tour of Sweden, Denmark and East Germany in 1967, the witty singer-songwriter retreated from the spotlight, per the National Recording Registry.
Lehrer didn’t leave music fully behind, however. The musician, joining the faculty of the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1972, taught a musical theater course in addition to teaching mathematics.
Despite his relatively short career, Lehrer has inspired several musicians and satirists over the years, including “Weird Al” Yankovic, Swedish actor Lars Ekborg and Argentinian singer Nacha Guevara.
Lehrer was not married at the time of his death. He had no children.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tom Lehrer dead: Singer and political satirist was 97
