When was Jesse Colin Young diagnosed with Lyme disease? Health struggles explored as The Youngbloods frontman dies

One of the prominent names of the counterculture era, Jesse Colin Young passed away at 83 on Sunday, March 16, 2025, at his Aiken residence in South Carolina. The heartbreaking news came as nothing but a shock to his fans and music enthusiasts across the globe. Connie Young, Jesse's second wife and manager confirmed his passing away news.

Despite having a long and successful career, Perry Miller, professionally known as Jesse Colin Young, had his fair share of tough times, which included struggling with health issues. During the 1995 wildfire, Young's California residence at Point Reyes National Seashore was destroyed along with numerous other properties. Following that incident, he entered a phase in his life during which he went through several health issues and experienced intense mental distress eventually being diagnosed with neurological Lyme disease.

Young was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease in 2012, after which he entered a brief period of retirement, but again started performing with his son Tristan in 2016. However, for those who don't know what Lyme disease is, it is a bacterial infection transmitted to human beings after getting bitten by infected ticks, mainly deer ticks, commonly known as black-legged ticks.

According to the LA Times, Michael Jensen who was Jesse's long-term publicist, confirmed to The Times on March 17, 2025, that the cause behind Young's death was a heart attack. Jensen revealed that Young just finished his autobiography and planned to write a children's book. He also revealed that Jesse completed recording a song for Future Youth Records. Jensen further added:

"He was an incredibly active guy. He was a client for many, many years, but more importantly, he was one of the nicest people on the entire planet. He was a great human being, and I’m heartbroken."

Jesse Colin Young, one of the icons of the Woodstock generation and the voice behind Get Together

Young was not just a singer-songwriter of the Woodstock generation, but also one of the founding members of the legendary band The Youngbloods, who also sang the classic hit, Get Together, penned by Chester Powers, a song about peace and brotherhood. The song eventually became the anthem of the anti-war movement during the 1960s.

Perry Miller, professionally known as Jesse Colin Young was born on November 22, 1941, in Queens, New York to Fredrick Miller, an accountant by profession with a Harvard education, and Doryce, a singer and violinist. However, his parents were originally from Massachusetts.

The Soul of a City Boy was Jesse's first song which he recorded in 1964 with Capital Records, followed by Young Blood, which he released in 1965. That same year he came across Jerry Cobitt, a folk singer and extraordinary guitarist, with whom he formed the rock band, The Youngbloods. Besides being a legendary musician, Young was a label owner, instrumentalist, and social/environmental activist.

Jesse Colin Young, the father of four, shared Cheyenne and Juli with Suzi Wong, his first wife, and Tristan and Jazzie, with Connie Darden, his second wife and manager.