PEABODY — John Corcoran, 72, a well-known Irish folk singer and children’s entertainer who had a second career as a movie stuntman, died Friday at home from complications related to throat cancer.
Last month, dozens of musicians whose careers were touched by Corcoran’s work gathered at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Lynn for a sold-out tribute performance of his original songs.
“It was a wonderful celebration,” Corcoran said during a recent interview in his home. “There’s a tradition that when a fellow entertainer passes, everyone meets at a home or a hall after the funeral, brings their instruments, and plays music for (the departed), music they’re known for.”
Corcoran’s son Sean, senior managing editor for news at WGBH News in Boston, asked his dad if it was OK to host such an affair while he was still alive and able to enjoy it.
“It was quite the party,” said Corcoran. “Instead of a funeral, there was food and beer and telling of stories. Friends called from Alaska, England, Chicago … and my son, Shane, put together a tape of some of my stunt work.”
Lynn Mayor Thomas M. McGee, whose father and Corcoran’s dad were best buddies in their Pine Hill Lynn neighborhood, attended the shindig.
In November, McGee honored Mr. Corcoran with a City Hall citation, acknowledging his “bringing music and laughter to generations while representing the city of Lynn with distinction throughout the country,” for more than five decades.
Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt said, in a letter to Corcoran, “As mayor, I strive to find role models of excellence in our community to help focus attention on what is great about our city. Your illustrious career as an entertainer and stuntman, coupled with your being the father of three talented and accomplished children, provides wonderful examples.”
The Lynn native, the oldest of John and Rose Corcoran’s 15 children, lived in Peabody in the South Elementary School neighborhood with his wife Frances (Buckley) and three children — Sean, Erin and Shane — for most of his life.
He began performing at age 15, “borrowing” his older cousin’s ID so he could get hired at Rick’s Lounge in Lynn. As a teen, he appeared at the Ballad Tree tent at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. He later teamed with his brother, Brian, as The Corcoran Brothers. Together they built a national following, performing and recording with many of the genre’s most respected musicians, including Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers. They were also regular performers at the former Harp and Bard restaurant in Danvers. His own group, John Corcoran and Co., became a mainstay in Boston’s Irish pubs and at The Prince restaurant in Saugus, where Corcoran performed four nights a week and hosted children’s shows on weekends.
Known for his rich singing voice and heartfelt songwriting, he played a 12-string Martin guitar and mixed humor and storytelling into his musical act, a complete entertainer. Corcoran performed for President Jimmy Carter during his 1978 appearance at Lynn City Hall.
In the 1970s and ’80s, John was a founding member of the movie stunt company, Stunt Specialists. He worked as a stunt man and actor in dozens of movies and television shows, including “The World According to Garp”; “Ragtime”; “Fort Apache, the Bronx”; and “The Cotton Club.” He also was the stunt coordinator for several productions, include the TV soap opera “Ryan’s Hope,” and the Salem-based PBS production “Three Sovereigns For Sarah.”
Corcoran was a 1965 graduate of St. Mary’s High School and a 1970 graduate of Emerson College, where he studied acting. While at St. Mary’s elementary school, he played violin with the Boston Pops Children’s Orchestra, with Leonard Bernstein conducting.
Services are still being planned through Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St.
A memorial scholarship has been created in his name that will support a student at St. Mary’s High School who is involved in the performing arts. Donations will be accepted online at https://www.stmaryslynn.com/give/give-online. Click “gift in honor of” and then type “John Corcoran.” Checks will also be accepted at St. Mary’s High School, 35 Tremont St., Lynn, MA 01902. Please write John Corcoran in the memo field.
