Honoring Peter Yarrow: The Legacy of Peter, Paul and Mary’s Iconic Folk Music and Activism
Celebrate the life of Peter Yarrow, who died at 86, leaving behind music that defined folk history
Peter Yarrow from the critically acclaimed 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary passed away on Tuesday, January 7, at age 86 from bladder cancer. To honor him and the lasting legacy he left on the music industry, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and find out how the band Peter, Paul and Mary came to be and what the stars have been up to since their time in the spotlight came to an end. Read on for more.
The rise and fall of Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers banded together to create Peter, Paul and Mary in 1961 after being introduced by music manager Albert Grossman. All of the singers were in their early 20s at the time and had never been professionally involved in the music industry.
The group then released their first album—Peter, Paul and Mary—in 1962. It had 12 songs in total, with standouts including “500 Miles,” “If I Had a Hammer,” and “Lemon Tree.”
“Each of us has a talent that’s pivotal for the group,” Travers said before her death in 2009. “Peter is a patient and meticulous worker, especially when it comes to sound quality, and that commitment to excellence is what yields the best possible environment in which to be creative.”
Following that, the trio released six more studio albums and won five different Grammy Awards before splitting up in 1970 to pursue other things.
”I had a family,” Stookey said of the split. “And unless I stopped touring and attended to them, I wasn’t going to have them much longer.”
It is also widely believed that the band broke up because Yarrow was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in his dressing room in 1969. He then went to jail for three months due to “indecent liberties.”
“I do not seek to minimize or excuse what I have done, and I cannot adequately express my apologies and sorrow for the pain and injury I have caused,” Yarrow said after the fact.
He was then pardoned by the late President Jimmy Carter in 1981.
Folk music meets activism
Aside from music, the band Peter, Paul and Mary were also very well known for their work as political activists and could often be found campaigning and performing at various human rights protests across the country.
”Even though Live Aid and Farm Aid were very comfortable and accessible gestures,’ Yarrow once said. ”Which did not involve alienating a group that would object to one’s involvement, they were important steps for pop music. There’s something happening in the world, and with the technology, that could unite us. It’s moving again, and it’s a great joy that we can participate. And we have something to share now that we didn’t have then—we’re experienced.”
Following the band’s split, Yarrow continued to serve as an activist and even founded the Save One Child fund in 1996. The organization serves as a way for children to receive free radiological neurosurgical treatment. He also created Operation Respect in 1999 in an effort to prevent bullying.
“People can overcome their differences and, when united, move toward a world of greater fairness and justice,” the late singer said. “As in folk music, each person has a unique role to play.”
Where are they now?
Sadly, out of the three singers, only Stookey remains. He is 87 years old and happily married to his wife, Elizabeth Bannard Stookey—whom he met at age 21. The couple currently has three daughters.
Travers died in 2009 from complications with chemotherapy given to her after being diagnosed with leukemia. She was 72 at the time and had been married four different times before her death. She is survived to this day by her two daughters and many grandkids.
As mentioned above, the band’s other member, Yarrow died in early 2025 from cancer. Yarrow was married to Marybeth McCarthy from 1969 until 1981 and then again in 2022. They had one son together.
A legacy of music and activism
Even still, Peter, Paul and Mary will always be remembered for their hit songs “Puff The Magic Dragon” and “Leaving On a Jet Plane,” which was written by John Denver but then made popular by the folk trio.
Peter, Paul and Mary will also forever have a place in history as activists for human rights.
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