Country Joe McDonald of Country Joe and the Fish Dies at 84

McDonald died at his home in Berkeley, Calif., from complications related to Parkinson’s disease, according to his wife, Kathy. News of his death was first reported Monday (March 9) . Related Rita Ora Performs During Australia's Formula 1 Grand Prix Weekend G Flip and Vanessa Amorosi Perform 'Absolutely Everybody' at Melbourne Arena Show Justin Bieber Throws Water Bottle Toward Paparazzi During L.A.

Date Night With Wife Hailey Born Joseph Allen McDonald on Jan. 1, 1942, in Washington, D.C., McDonald rose to prominence as the frontman of Country Joe and the Fish, a San Francisco Bay Area psychedelic rock band that emerged from the counterculture scene in the mid-1960s. The group blended politically charged lyrics with psychedelic rock and became closely associated with the anti-war movement of the era.

McDonald’s most enduring composition, “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag,” became a rallying cry for Vietnam War protesters. The song reached global notoriety during McDonald’s solo appearance at the 1969 Woodstock festival, where he led the crowd through the now-famous “Fish Cheer,” a call-and-response chant that encouraged hundreds of thousands of attendees to spell out an...