Friend of Indigenous Americans Pete Seeger Gone

[Adam-I-Am]

A great friend of Indigenous Americans and Hawaiians Pete Seeger is gone at 94. The deeply loved (and deeply hated) progressive and environmentalist folk singer Pete Seeger was "a close friend" even to those of us who never met him but believed in his "great cause." So long, Pete.

[LaurelJ]

Turn, turn, turn to everything there is a season #128515; RIP!

[missydog1]

My parents who are his generation used to play PeteÔs records a lot. Thus the first folk singer I heard.

Two wonderful tributes to him came up in my Facebook feed, one from Arlo Guthrie, whom Pete asked to write his obit , and one from David Crosby where he talks about Turn Turn Turn.

Not sure how to link status updates, so here is what Arlo and Crosby wrote:

ARLO on Pete Seeger:

I usually do a little meditation and prayer every night before I go to sleep - Just part of the routine. Last night, I decided to go visit Pete Seeger for a while, just to spend a little time together, it was around 9 PM. So I was sitting in my home in Florida, having a lovely chat with Pete, who was in a hospital in New York City. That's the great thing about thoughts and prayers- You can go or be anywhere.

I simply wanted him to know that I loved him dearly, like a father in some ways, a mentor in others and just as a dear friend a lot of the time. I'd grown up that way - loving the Seegers - Pete & Toshi and all their family.

I let him know I was having trouble writing his obituary (as I'd been asked) but it seemed just so silly and I couldn't think of anything that didn't sound trite or plain stupid. "They'll say something appropriate in the news," we agreed. We laughed, we talked, and I took my leave about 9:30 last night.

"Arlo" he said, sounding just like the man I've known all of my life, "I guess I'll see ya later." I've always loved the rising and falling inflections in his voice. "Pete," I said. "I guess we will."

I turned off the light and closed my eyes and fell asleep until very early this morning, about 3 AM when the texts and phone calls started coming in from friends telling me Pete had passed away.

"Well, of course he passed away!" I'm telling everyone this morning. "But that doesn't mean he's gone."

David Crosby

Pete Seeger and the Weavers were my very first music. They, and especially Pete, taught me what a song was and how wonderful a way to communicate to other people a song is. He taught a whole generation of musicians how to stand and be counted. How to stand up for what we believe in. A sweet , brave , exemplary human being that I loved. I remember well the letter he wrote to The Byrds thanking us for making a hit out of Turn Turn Turn. His interview for my documentary "Stand and Be Counted " was the best of the 50 or so that we did because of his courage and commitment . A light has gone and our world is a little darker now.