Tom Lehrer dies at 97: Satirical singer found dead at house; Harvard math genius famed for taboo-breaking songs

Tom Lehrer (Picture supply: X)

Tom Lehrer, the sharp-witted American singer and satirist identified for his darkly comedian songs, has died at the age of 97. He was found dead on Saturday at his house in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lehrer first found fame within the Nineteen Fifties together with his self-produced albums, but it surely was the Sixties TV present That Was the Week That Was that introduced his biting humour to a wider viewers. Despite his cult following, Lehrer at all times noticed himself primarily as a mathematician. He taught at Harvard, MIT and later at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the place he spent most of his later life. Known for tackling taboo subjects by satire, resembling struggle, drug use, and faith, Lehrer’s songs like The Masochism Tango, Poisoning Pigeons within the Park, and The Vatican Rag pushed boundaries throughout the Eisenhower period. His 1965 album That Was the Year That Was hit No. 18 on the US charts. Born in New York to a Jewish household, Lehrer was a prodigy who entered Harvard at 15. Though he left showbiz early, his work remained common, featured in radio exhibits, stage revues, and re-released albums. Lehrer by no means married and had no youngsters.