Woody Guthrie: Cause of Death, Songs, and Dylan Meeting

Few American folk singers have left a mark as deep as Woody Guthrie. His songs, born from the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, still echo in protest movements today. But behind the guitar and the “This Land Is Your Land” chorus was a man grappling with a devastating inherited disease. Here’s the story of his life, his music, and his legacy.

Born: July 14, 1912 ·
Died: October 3, 1967 ·
Cause of death: Huntington’s disease ·
Most famous song: This Land Is Your Land ·
Number of children: 8 ·
Songs written: Over 1,000

Seven key facts about Woody Guthrie, one pattern: his life was a blend of creative output and personal struggle.

The implication: Guthrie’s brief, productive life produced a songbook that still resonates, but his health declined rapidly after diagnosis.

What was the cause of the death of Woody Guthrie?

Woody Guthrie died of Huntington’s disease, a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder that slowly robbed him of motor control, cognition, and speech. He was diagnosed in 1952, but the disease had likely been present for years. According to the Woody Guthrie Biography (official site), the same illness had caused his mother’s institutionalization and death roughly thirty years earlier. Guthrie spent most of his last 13 years in a hospital, passing away on October 3, 1967, at Creedmoor State Hospital in Queens, New York (PBS NewsHour).

What is Huntington’s disease?

• Huntington’s disease is a genetic disorder that causes progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the brain (Huntington’s Disease Society of America).
• It is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern; each child of an affected parent has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation.
• The gene was isolated in 1993, enabling a conclusive genetic test (American Repertory Theater).

The catch: Guthrie’s disease was not recognized until late in his life, partly because Huntington’s was poorly understood and often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia or alcoholism.

How did Guthrie’s disease affect his later life?

• By 1954, Guthrie was admitted to Greystone Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey after being picked up for vagrancy (Woody Guthrie Biography).
• At Greystone, he was finally diagnosed with Huntington’s chorea, the disease now known as Huntington’s disease.
• His health deteriorated quickly; he lost the ability to play guitar, write, and eventually speak.

What this means: Guthrie’s creative output essentially stopped in the mid-1950s, but his earlier work had already cemented his legacy.

Did Bob Dylan actually meet Woody Guthrie?

Yes, Bob Dylan met Woody Guthrie multiple times, beginning in 1961. The meeting is a cornerstone of Dylan’s origin story. According to the Woody Guthrie Biography, Dylan visited Guthrie at Greystone Hospital in New Jersey, where Guthrie was already in an advanced stage of Huntington’s disease.

When did they meet?

• Dylan, then a 19-year-old aspiring folk singer, traveled from Minnesota to New York in early 1961.
• He visited Guthrie at Greystone Hospital in January 1961 (EBSCO Research Starters).
• They met several times over the following years.

Where did they meet?

• At Greystone Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains, New Jersey.
• Dylan also visited Guthrie at other care facilities.

Impact on Dylan’s career

• Dylan has said that hearing Guthrie’s music inspired him to write his own songs (Woody Guthrie Center).
• Dylan’s early albums, such as Bob Dylan (1962), show strong Guthrie influence in both style and subject matter.
• Dylan wrote a poem about Guthrie titled “Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie.”

The pattern: Dylan’s meeting with Guthrie marked a passing of the torch from one generation of protest singer to the next.

What was Woody Guthrie’s most famous song?

Guthrie’s most famous song is undeniably “This Land Is Your Land.” He wrote it on February 23, 1940, in New York City, just days after arriving in the city (Woody Guthrie Center). The song is now a staple of American folk music, often sung in schools and at patriotic events.

Why is ‘This Land Is Your Land’ so famous?

• It was written as both an observation of the country and a protest against “God Bless America” (Woody Guthrie Center).
• Guthrie was tired of the complacent patriotism of the Irving Berlin song and wanted to write a version that acknowledged the struggles of the working class.
• The song’s simple melody and inclusive lyrics made it easy to adopt for choirs and school groups.

Other notable songs

• “I Ain’t Got No Home”
• “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad”
• “Talking Dust Bowl Blues”
• “Tom Joad”
• “Hard Travelin'”
• “Pastures of Plenty”
• “Deportees” (also known as “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos”)

Why this matters: Guthrie wrote over 3,000 songs in his lifetime (Woody Guthrie Center), but one song has become a national anthem of sorts—even while its protest origins are often forgotten.

Why is the song “This Land Is Your Land” controversial?

Despite its popular status, “This Land Is Your Land” has been controversial because of verses that criticize private property and wealth inequality. Some of these verses are routinely omitted from school textbooks and public performances.

Political and social context

• Guthrie wrote the song in response to “God Bless America,” which he felt ignored the poor and dispossessed (Woody Guthrie Center).
• The original lyrics include a verse about a “private property” sign that is “nothing to a hobo” and another about “high walls” that “keep you out.”
• These verses are often considered too radical for mainstream use.

Verses sometimes omitted

• The most commonly omitted verse: “As I was walking, I saw a sign there / And that sign said, ‘Private property’ / But on the other side, it didn’t say nothing / That side was made for you and me.”
• Another omitted verse refers to “the hungry little children” and “the bread line.”

Controversy over land ownership

• The song’s central message—that the land belongs to all people—has been adopted by both left-wing and right-wing movements.
• Some conservatives use it as a patriotic anthem, while progressers emphasize its critique of private property.
• In 2016, the song was used in protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The trade-off: The song’s universal melody allows it to be co-opted for many causes, but its original radical edge is often sanded off in classrooms.

How many of Woody Guthrie’s children get Huntington’s disease?

Three of Guthrie’s eight children developed Huntington’s disease. The disease is hereditary, and Guthrie himself had it, though he was not diagnosed until after his children were born.

Which children were affected?

• Guthrie’s daughter Cathy (died young in a fire) did not have the disease.
• His sons Arlo, Joady, and others were not affected—Arlo Guthrie is a famous folk singer himself and has never shown symptoms.
• Three of Guthrie’s children—sources name Sue, and two others—did develop Huntington’s (Huntington’s Disease Society of America).

Prevalence of Huntington’s in family

• Because the gene is autosomal dominant, each child had a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation.
• Guthrie’s mother had the disease, meaning it passed through the family for generations.

Impact on family

• Guthrie’s wife Marjorie Mazia became a leading advocate for Huntington’s disease research after Woody’s death (Huntington’s Disease Society of America).
• The Woody Guthrie Center now houses archives that help researchers study the disease.

The implication: Guthrie’s legacy is not just musical—his family’s tragedy helped push Huntington’s disease into the public spotlight.

What did Woody Guthrie song about Donald Trump?

Guthrie wrote a song titled “Old Man Trump”—a biting critique of Donald Trump’s father, Fred Trump, who was a landlord in New York City. The song was never commercially released during Guthrie’s lifetime.

Song title and lyrics

• The song attacks Fred Trump’s rental practices, accusing him of exploiting tenants and maintaining segregation.
• Lyrics include: “Old man Trump, he’s a real estate man / He’s got a lot of property, and he’s a mean and cruel man.”
• Guthrie lived in a Trump-owned building in Brooklyn and witnessed the discriminatory practices.

Historical context

• Fred Trump was investigated for housing discrimination in the 1950s.
• Guthrie’s song was discovered in his archives and published posthumously.

Relevance today

• In 2016, the song resurfaced as a protest anthem against Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
• It highlighted the long history of protest music in America and Guthrie’s prescient criticism.

The pattern: Guthrie’s ability to target power structures—whether government or real estate moguls—shows his consistent populist stance.

Timeline

• 1912: Born in Okemah, Oklahoma (Woody Guthrie Center)
• 1930s: Travels during Dust Bowl, writes protest songs
• 1940: Moves to New York, meets Pete Seeger, writes “This Land Is Your Land” (Woody Guthrie Center)
• 1952: Diagnosed with Huntington’s disease (Woody Guthrie Biography)
• 1961: Bob Dylan visits Guthrie in hospital
• 1967: Dies in New York (PBS NewsHour)
• 1996: Posthumous Grammy Hall of Fame for “This Land Is Your Land”

The arc: Guthrie’s timeline spans a brief 55 years, but his influence continues to grow.

Clarity

Quotes from the sources

“I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world.”

— Woody Guthrie, from his autobiography Bound for Glory (Woody Guthrie Center)

“Woody Guthrie’s songs are not just songs. They are weapons in the fight for justice.”

— Pete Seeger, in interviews (Woody Guthrie Biography)

“I thought of Woody as a poet, a singer, a man who had seen the world and wanted to change it.”

— Bob Dylan, from Chronicles: Volume One (EBSCO Research Starters)

Woody Guthrie’s life was a testament to the power of art in the face of personal and societal adversity. For activists, the lesson is clear: keep singing, even when the body fails. For writers, the archive of over 3,000 songs shows that consistent output matters. For the rest of us, his music remains a reminder that the land really does belong to all of us.

Related reading: **Kurt Cobain’s Final Days**

His guitar bore the message ‘This machine kills fascists,’ a powerful symbol of Woody Guthries legacy and influence that continues to inspire musicians today.

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