July 16 1981, singer-songwriter Harry Chapin, best known for his folk rock songs "Taxi", and the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle", was killed at age 38 after suffering cardiac arrest while driving on a New York expressway.

July 16 1981, singer-songwriter Harry Chapin, best known for his folk rock songs "Taxi", and the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle", was killed at age 38 after suffering cardiac arrest while driving on a New York expressway.







His car was hit from behind by a tractor-trailer, causing the gas tank to explode.
Chapin was a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger. He was also a key player in the creation of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger. In 1987, Chapin was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his humanitarian work.
Chapin's remains were interred in the Huntington Rural Cemetery, Huntington, New York. His epitaph is taken from his song "I Wonder What Would Happen to this World". It is:

Oh if a man tried
To take his time on Earth
And prove before he died
What one man's life could be worth
I wonder what would happen
to this world