Lehrer was a satirical singer-songwriter known for darkly humorous songs such as The Elements, Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, and The Vatican Rag.

A Harvard-trained mathematician, he taught at institutions including MIT, Harvard, and UC Santa Cruz.

• His albums include Songs by Tom Lehrer (1953) and That Was the Year That Was (1965), and he wrote songs for the PBS children's show The Electric Company.

• In 2020, he released all of his songs into the public domain.