The folk singer and his trio were best known for hits like Puff the Magic Dragon and Where Have All the Flowers Gone.

Peter Yarrow, a founding member of the iconic folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, has passed away at the age of 86.

Yarrow died on Tuesday (January 7) at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. His publicist, Ken Sunshine, confirmed that he had been battling bladder cancer for the past four years.

Known for his gentle tenor vocals, Yarrow helped shape the group’s signature sound, making them one of the most beloved folk acts of the 1960s.

Formed in 1961 alongside Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers, the trio became famous for timeless folk classics like Puff the Magic Dragon, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Leavin’ on a Jet Plane, and Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.

Yarrow frequently co-wrote songs with Stookey, who is now the last surviving member of the group. Travers passed away from leukemia in 2009 at the age of 72.

In a statement to The New York Times, Stookey remembered Yarrow as a “creative, irrepressible, spontaneous, and musical younger brother” whose wisdom and guidance felt “mature beyond his years.”

“Perhaps Peter was both of the brothers I never had,” Stookey reflected. “And I shall deeply miss both of him.”

While the trio often shared vocal duties, Yarrow took the lead on several notable tracks, including Puff the Magic Dragon, Day Is Done, and The Great Mandala.

Many of Peter, Paul and Mary’s songs charted on Billboard, with their rendition of John Denver’s Leavin’ on a Jet Plane reaching No. 1.

Although the group disbanded in 1970 to pursue solo projects, they frequently reunited over the decades for benefit concerts and continued collaborating on music.