Legendary American folk singer Pete Seeger, known for renditions of songs like "If I had a Hammer" and "Where Have all the Flowers Gone," has died at the age of 94.
He gained fame as a member of The Weavers, and had hits such as "Goodnight Irene."
Seeger passed away last night in New York after being hospitalized for a week.
He is also known for popularizing the hymn of the civil rights movement, "We Shall Overcome."
His death was confirmed by his grandson, Kitama Cahill Jackson, who said he died of natural causes at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
He sang for the labour movement in the 1940s and 1950s, for civil rights marches and anti-Vietnam War rallies in the 1960s.
He remained an activist as recently as October 2011 when he marched in New York City as part of the Occupy Wall Street protests.
He was a mentor to folk and topical singers in the '50s and '60s, among them Bob Dylan and Don McLean.
Bruce Springsteen drew on Seeger's work in his 2006 album, "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions," from Seeger's repertoire of traditional music about turbulent American life.
At a Madison Square Garden concert celebrating Seeger's 90th birthday, Springsteen introduced him as "a living archive of America's music and conscience, a testament of the power of song
