Tom Lehrer, the American musical satirist whose razor-sharp wit and dark humour defined a generation, has died at the age of 97, according to reports from US media.
The Harvard-trained mathematician became famous in the 1950s and 60s for his sardonic songs, often laced with political and social commentary. His influence reached far beyond his era, inspiring comedians such as Weird Al Yankovich.
Lehrer’s death was confirmed to the New York Times by his friend David Herder.
Born in Manhattan in 1928, Lehrer was a classically trained pianist. Despite achieving cult status through his music, he largely devoted his life to academia, holding teaching roles at prestigious institutions including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of California.
He graduated early from the Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut and entered Harvard at just 15, earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics by the age of 18. He later completed a master’s degree and began doctoral studies at Columbia University, though he did not finish his PhD.
Lehrer began writing songs during his Harvard years to amuse friends. One of his most enduring pieces, The Elements, set the periodic table to the melody of Gilbert and Sullivan’s I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General.
Other favourites included The Masochism Tango, featuring the lines, “I ache for the touch of your lips, dear / But much more for the touch of your whips, dear…”
Known for his pitch-black humour, Lehrer’s works included I Hold Your Hand in Mine, about necrophilia, I Got It From Agnes, which tackled venereal disease, and Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, a cheeky take on urban pest control involving cyanide-laced peanuts.
In 1953, he released Songs by Tom Lehrer, selling it by mail order. The album gained popularity through word of mouth and eventually sold an estimated half a million copies. In 1954, the BBC banned most of the songs from airplay.
With growing fame, Lehrer performed in nightclubs in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, often appearing at anti-war and left-wing events.
He contributed music to the US version of the satirical TV show That Was the Week That Was, with those songs later compiled into a 1965 album.
One of his most talked-about pieces, The Vatican Rag, irreverently mocked the Catholic Church and was part of a repertoire that also criticised nuclear weapons and other pressing issues of the time.
Lehrer also wrote for the 1970s children’s educational show The Electric Company, and his music saw renewed interest in 1980 when Cameron Mackintosh produced Tomfoolery, a musical revue based on his work.
From 1972 to 2001, he taught mathematics and musical theatre at the University of California.
In a final nod to public access, Lehrer placed all his songs in the public domain in 2020, granting anyone the right to use or perform them freely. “In short, I no longer retain any rights to any of my songs,” he wrote. “So help yourselves, and don’t send me any money.”
He also signalled that his website would eventually be shut down — although it remained online at the time of writing.