Musician and Co-Founder of School for Kids With Disabilities Pegi Young Dies at 66
Musician, activist and disability advocate Pegi Young has died from cancer at the age of 66, according to her Facebook page on Jan. 1. In addition to her career as a musician, Young co-founded the Bridge School for students with disabilities in California.
Young’s son, Ben, was born with cerebral palsy. As Young became frustrated with the education programs available to Ben, she decided to do something about it. She founded the Bridge School in 1987 along with speech and language pathologist Marilyn Buzolich and another parent of children with disabilities, Jim Forderer to provide better educational opportunities for students with disabilities.
In addition to the school’s impact on students in California, the Bridge school offers teacher training worldwide along with conferences and workshops to improve its education strategies. The school received funding thanks to benefit concerts, the last of which was held in 2016, with an all-star line-up over the years that included Ben’s father Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Emmylou Harris, Pearl Jam and Metallica.
“Thanks, Pegi, for being such a wonderful mother to our children,” Neil Young wrote in tribute on his website. “You live on inside of them and the many you have touched.”
Other friends and fans reacted to her death on Twitter and shared condolences.
The @bridgeschool family is saddened by the loss of our friend and co-founder, @pegiyoung. Her vision has changed the lives of children worldwide & we will do our best to continue her mission. Please keep us and her family in your thoughts and prayers as we keep the dream alive. pic.twitter.com/BzHucZmiOo
— The Bridge School (@bridgeschool) January 4, 2019
So sad to hear of the passing of @pegiyoung. A wonderful, courageous woman. A lovely artist. And an amazing mother and a crusader.
The world needs more people like her.
Elton xx pic.twitter.com/RPFAay51JN
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) January 4, 2019
Pegi was real rock n roll. She was a fierce defender of the #disabled. She was real. #RIP #PegiYoung pic.twitter.com/x63AT8g8J0
— Mari-Anne Kehler (@MaKehler) January 3, 2019
Rest in sweet peace #PegiYoung . Our friend. And a warrior for children and families everywhere. Thank you. It’s all too short. pic.twitter.com/ikElgj6cE3
— Nils Lofgren (@nilslofgren) January 4, 2019
RIP, Pegi Young. World’s greatest special needs mom. pic.twitter.com/th0fHnocOt
— Ursula Koenig (@ursulakoenig) January 3, 2019
Header image via Pegi Young’s Facebook page.
Renée Fabian was the features editor at The Mighty. She has also written for The Washington Post, VICE, Healthline, Talkspace, The Fix, The Establishment, The Culture Trip, and GRAMMY.com, among others. Renée was named a 2019 AHCJ Comparative Effectiveness Research fellow, a 2020 USC Center for Health Journalism California fellow, and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles. You can follow her on Twitter @ryfabian.
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