Adam Schlesinger died on Wednesday, April 1, after being diagnosed with coronavirus. He was 52.
The Fountains of Wayne cofounder’s attorney, Josh Grier, confirmed the news. His lawyer said on Tuesday, March 31, that Schlesinger was “very sick and heavily sedated.” At that point, he had been hospitalized in upstate New York for more than a week.
The “Stacy’s Mom” singer is survived by his two daughters, Sadie and Claire, whom he shared with ex-wife Katherine Michel. He was married to the graphic designer from 1999 to 2013.
Schlesinger was well known for his work with Fountains of Wayne. The songwriter went on to pen tracks for film, television and the stage.
He garnered several accolades throughout his career, including Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for his songwriting in Tom Hanks’ 1996 directorial debut, That Thing You Do! Fountains of Wayne went on to earn two Grammy nods in 2003 for Best New Artist and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group for their hit single “Stacy’s Mom.”
Alongside David Javerbaum, Schlesinger received two Tony Award nominations in 2008 for Best Musical and Best Original Score for Cry-Baby. The duo were later up for an Outstanding Music and Lyrics Emmy in 2009 for “Much Worse Things,” which they wrote for Stephen Colbert’s A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!
In recent years, the musician took on the role of executive music producer on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. He earned multiple Emmy nods and won in 2019 for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for “Antidepressants Are So Not a Big Deal.”
Schlesinger was also nominated for his work on Sesame Street and the Tony Awards broadcasts.
As for his other projects, he wrote and produced tracks for 2007’s Music and Lyrics, penned a song for the Jonas Brothers and collaborated with Sarah Silverman on an upcoming stage adaptation of her book, The Bedwetter.
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