Tom Lehrer, the mathematician and satirist known for his witty songs that shaped music and culture in the 1950s and 1960s, has died.
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Lehrer passed away on Saturday at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, according to his friend David Herder, who shared the news with the New York Times.
No cause of death was disclosed. Lehrer was 97 years old.
Lehrer was born on April 9, 1928, in New York City. He began studying classical piano at age 7 and entered Harvard to study mathematics at 15, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1946.
While still in school, Lehrer began writing his own songs. After graduating, he transitioned into recording and performing, releasing his debut solo album, Songs by Tom Lehrer, in 1953.
After two years in the US Army, Tom Lehrer released two albums in 1959: More of Tom Lehrer and a live recording, An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer. In 1960, he received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Performance (Musical).
Tom Lehrer Split His Time Between Academics and Songwriting
Around that time, Lehrer decided to step away from touring and shift his focus to teaching mathematics.
Despite this career change, he continued to pursue his passion for music. He contributed weekly by composing political satire songs for the NBC comedy show That Was the Week That Was. The trailblazing show, airing from 1963 to 1965, is often regarded as a forerunner to Saturday Night Live.
Tom Lehrer released the album That Was the Year That Was, which reached No. 18 on Billboard’s Top 200 in 1966, per Deadline. He also wrote songs for the 1970s PBS show The Electric Company.
Although he achieved significant musical success, Lehrer chose to step away from performing entirely in the 1970s, retreating from the public eye to dedicate himself to a career in academia.
During the later years of his academic career, Lehrer served as a mathematics professor at esteemed institutions such as Harvard, MIT, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. He retired from teaching in 2001.
A Fan Favorite Parody Song Artist Pays Tribute to “Musical Hero” Tom Lehrer
Beloved musician, comedian, and parody song artist Alfred “Weird Al” Yankovic took to social media to pay tribute to Lehrer in the wake of his passing.
“My last living musical hero is still my hero, but unfortunately, no longer living. RIP to the great, great Mr. Tom Lehrer,” Yankovic wrote on Instagram.
Meanwhile, in November 2022, Tom Lehrer announced on his website that he had released ownership of his music, making it freely available in the public domain.
“In short, I no longer retain any rights to any of my songs,” he explained in a statement. “So help yourselves, and don’t send me any money,” he joked.