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Tags: mitch margo | the tokens | the lion sleeps tonight | dies

Mitch Margo, of Group Behind 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight,' Dies at 70

Monday, 04 December 2017 07:18 AM EST

Mitch Margo, a member of the group behind the hit song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in the early 1960s, has died at his California home. He was 70.

His family said Margo died Nov. 24 in Studio City but did not specify the cause.

He was an original member of the Tokens, the singing group that based their hit on a recording of a Zulu folk song.

Margo was a high school student in Brooklyn when the Tokens formed and recorded the song. During his career, he also played piano, guitar, bass, drums and percussion, and worked as a producer.

His survivors include his sons, Damien and Ari; a brother, Phil; and a sister, Maxine, as well as nephews and a niece.

His death was reported by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


US
Mitch Margo, a member of the group behind the hit song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in the early 1960s, has died at his California home. He was 70.
mitch margo, the tokens, the lion sleeps tonight, dies
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2017-18-04
Monday, 04 December 2017 07:18 AM
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