By Ali Abbas Ahmadi, BBC | American musician and satirist Tom Lehrer has died at the age of 97. Lehrer, a Harvard-trained mathematician, wrote darkly humorous songs, often with political connotations, that became popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Modern comedians such as Weird Al Yankovich said they have been influenced by Lehrer’s work.
His death was confirmed to the New York Times by David Herder, a friend.
Born in Manhattan in 1928, Lehrer was a classically trained pianist. But despite his musical success, he spent most of his life pursuing academia.
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Lehrer’s most enduring songs include The Elements, a list of the chemical elements set to the tune of I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General from The Pirates of Penzance, Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera.
Other fan favorites include The Masochism Tango, in which singer extols his beloved’s violent passions with the lyrics, “I ache for the touch of your lips, dear / But much more for the touch of your whips, dear…”
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Go here to read the full article:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpv02yd2714o
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OTHER NOTABLE MUSICIANS’ DEATHS
Posting for my Veteran/singer/songwriter/musician friend Troy Hoss: Heavy on my heart so here goes: This is a very real problem … 22 Veterans a day surrender to their demons. #SuicideAwareness | Call Veteran’s Hotline: 988 #1 or 844-647-1354
Warning Signs of Suicide – National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or if you want to discuss, call the old numbers at 800-273-TALK or 800-273-8255 for English and 888-628-9454 for Spanish. Learn the signs of someone who may be contemplating suicide.
If you want to know more about any of the musicians we lost, please check them out at http://www.wikipedia.com
July 2025
29: Paul Mario Day, 69, English singer (Iron Maiden, More, The Sweet), cancer; Livio Macchia, 83, Italian singer and musician (I Camaleonti).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Mario_Day
28: Rosita Velázquez, 74, Puerto Rican singer (Moliendo Vidrio) and comedian.
27: Celso Valli, 75, Italian composer.
26: Daddy Lumba, 60, Ghanaian singer-songwriter and musician; Tom Lehrer, 97, American singer-songwriter (“The Elements”, “The Old Dope Peddler”, “The Vatican Rag”), satirist, and mathematician; Jock McDonald, 69, British musician (Bollock Brothers), drowned; Ziad Rahbani, 69, Lebanese composer.25: Obafemi Lasode, 69, Nigerian musician, film director (Sango) and producer; Daniel Lentz, 83, American composer.
24: Dame Cleo Laine, 97, English jazz singer (On the Town), Grammy winner (1986); Amalia Macías, 91, Mexican singer and actress; Tommy McLain, 85, American swamp pop musician (“Sweet Dreams”).
23: George Veikoso, 55, Fijian musician.