Tom Lehrer’s death at 97 closes the chapter on a rare kind of cultural lightning: a man who could turn nuclear annihilation, religious hypocrisy, and political vanity into songs you hummed on the way home. From “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park” to “The Vatican Rag,” he wrapped razor‑sharp criticism in playful rhyme, forcing listeners to laugh first and think later.
A prodigy who entered Harvard at 15, Lehrer spent much of his life in academia, seemingly indifferent to fame even as his records passed hand to hand like contraband. He stopped performing publicly decades ago, yet his work kept resurfacing in classrooms, comedy clubs, and online, inspiring generations of satirists. Now, as tributes pour in, one thing is painfully clear: the world has not grown any less absurd, but it has lost one of its bravest, funniest narrators.