The music world is mourning as Country Joe McDonald died at the age of 84, closing the chapter on a voice that once echoed across a generation of protest and psychedelic rebellion. McDonald, born Joseph Allen McDonald, died Saturday, March 7, in Berkeley, California, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease, according to a statement shared by the band Country Joe and the Fish on its official Facebook page. The band said it was saddened by the loss and noted that McDonald was surrounded by his family at the time of his passing. No additional details were immediately released. Representatives for the musician have been contacted for further information.

Voice of Protest in the Vietnam War Era

Songwriter Behind a Defining Anti-War Anthem

McDonald helped define the soundtrack of the 1960s as lead singer and co-founder of the psychedelic folk-rock group Country Joe and the Fish. He wrote many of the band’s most memorable songs, including the biting Vietnam War protest anthem “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag.”
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