Born on December 7, 1942 in New York City as son of Jim Chapin.. Died on July 16, 1981 when his car was hit by a truck in Jericho, New York. Harry Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter who became one of the most popular singers of the 1970s. He is best known for his folk rock songs including Taxi, W*O*L*D, Flowers Are Red and the No. 1 hit Cat's In The Cradle. Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger; he was a key player in the creation of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977. In 1987, Chapin was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his humanitarian work.