Peter Yarrow, folk legend and 'Puff the Magic Dragon' co-writer, dead at 86

Peter Yarrow, the singer-songwriter who was one-third of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, has died at age 86, his representative confirmed to ABC News.

Yarrow died of bladder cancer, according to the representative. The singer had been fighting the illness for several years, a journey he and his family had been documenting on Yarrow's official website.

"So grateful for all the love and support of extended family, dearest friends and everyone who has been writing living tributes, sending prayers and singing the songs that bind us together with peace as the song in our hearts," Yarrow's daughter, Bethany, posted on the website four days ago, along with an undated photo of Yarrow in bed. "Peter is very weak physically, but his spirit is strong and his light is growing brighter every day. We won't let the light go out! We love you Peter!"

Yarrow, along with Paul Stookey and Mary Travers, began performing as Peter, Paul and Mary in 1961, making their name by performing in New York City's nightclubs and coffeehouses. Their self-titled debut album, released a year later, topped the Billboard album chart and included the hit singles "Lemon Tree" and a cover of the Pete Seeger standard "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)."

Perhaps Yarrow's most enduring song with the trio was "Puff the Magic Dragon," which he wrote based on a poem by then-19-year-old author and filmmaker Lenny Lipton. Though the whimsical song was said at the time by some to be about marijuana use, Yarrow maintained it was an ode to leaving childhood behind as one becomes an adult.

The 1964 single rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and in the years since has been covered innumerable times. It also inspired three animated television films, as well as a 2007 book by Yarrow and Lipton.

The trio's biggest hit, however, was their 1969 recording of "Leaving on a Jet Plane," written by a then largely unknown John Denver. The single was Peter, Paul and Mary's only U.S. No. 1 hit, and their last top-40 song before they disbanded in 1970.

Also in 1970, Yarrow pleaded guilty to taking "improper and immoral liberties" with a 14-year-old female fan the year before and was sentenced to one to three years in prison, of which he served three months. In 1981, he was pardoned by President Jimmy Carter just before he left office.

Yarrow also co-wrote the 1976 Mary MacGregor No. 1 hit "Torn Between Two Lovers."

Peter, Paul and Mary reformed in 1981 and continued to perform until Mary Travers' death in 2009 of complications from leukemia. Yarrow and Stookey continued to perform as solo artists afterward, with Yarrow frequently performing with his daughter, Bethany, and remaining active in the folk music scene until his illness made it difficult for him to continue.

With Yarrow's death, only Paul Stookey remains of the trio.