Biologist Roger S. Payne died at the age of 88 on Saturday, 10 June at his South Woodstock, Vt, home.
His cause of death was metastatic squamous cell carcinoma.
Roger Payne made the ‘discovery that whales serenade one another’ which ‘prompted him to record their cacophonous repertoire of baying, booming, shrieking, squealing, mooing, and caterwauling, resulting in both a hit album and a rallying cry to ban commercial whaling.’
His research and release of the whale music spurred one of the most successful global mammal conservation campaigns, causing a crackdown on commercial whaling. He also established programs at the Wildlife Conservation Society as well as the research and advocacy organisation Ocean Alliance, reports the New York Times.
Pictures: GettyImages
