Fountains of Wayne singer Adam Schlesinger has died from coronavirus aged 52.
His attorney, Josh Grier, told TMZ that the star passed away on Wednesday as a result of Covid-19 complications.
Schlesinger had been in an Upstate New York hospital for more than a week fighting the killer bug and was receiving excellent medical care, Grier previously explained.
At the time he added that doctors were “reluctant to make predictions because so much about the disease remains unknown”.
Schlesinger’s girlfriend also told how the talented musician had been on a ventilator and was in a critical condition.
She said he “has been sedated to facilitate his recovery… but his condition is improving slightly and we are cautiously optimistic.”
Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne
But his condition sadly deteriorated. Schlesinger was divorced and is survived by two daughters.
Chris Carrabba, from the band Dashboard Confessional, confirmed Schlesinger’s death.
He tweeted: “I knew him best as a mentor, and a friend. We must take this seriously. People are sick and dying. It is hard to stay locked indoors but lives will be saved. Take care of each other. Rest In Peace, my dear friend.”
Fountains of Wayne pictured in 2004 (Image: AFP)
Singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins also paid tribute and said: “I’m heartbroken to hear about Adam Schlesinger’s passing.
“He was one of the 1st people I ever co-wrote a song with and we went on the road with Fountains of Wayne back in the day. He was really sweet and beyond talented. My heart goes out to his family and band mates.”
Acclaimed songwriter Diane Warren added: “RIP Adam Schlesinger. Love and prayers to his family. Thank U for the songs.”
He is survived by two daughters (Image: The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images)
American comedian Kathy Griffin also shared her shock on Twitter and said: “Oh god. Adam Schlesinger was wildly talented.
“He graciously wrote the theme song to my “KATHY” talk show called “I’ll say it” He was so patient with me as I was recording it in the booth, guiding me at every step. He did the gig as a favor, in a little home studio on a Saturday”.
And Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood posted: “Ugh. Heartbreaking to hear about Adam Schlesinger having passed. Such a brilliant songwriter.”
He had quite the career (Image: Getty Images)
Musician Schlesinger and three-time Emmy-winning songwriter, from New York, was a founding member of the bands Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows.
He co-wrote “Stacy’s Mom” with Fountains of Wayne lead singer Chris Collingwood.
The track about a teenage boy who was infatuated with his friend’s mum, featured supermodel Rachel Hunter in the video.
He was working a key songwriting contributor and producer for Brooklyn-based synth-pop duo Fever High.
He was just 52 (Image: Getty Images)
One of his first successful projects outside of Fountains of Wayne was in 1997 when he was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award for writing the title track of the Tom Hanks-directed film That Thing You Do! as well as two other songs for the movie.
He was a 10-time Emmy nominee in all, five of those for “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” for which he served as an executive music producer.
Meanwhile, he was nominated for a string of awards for his Fountains of Wayne work.
The group he co-founded with Chris Collingwood, earned two Grammy nominations in 2003, for best new artist and for best pop performance by a group for the top 20 single, Stacy’s Mom.
Aline Brosh McKenna co-created TV musical comedy-drama Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which Schlesinger wrote songs for.
She paid tribute on Twitter, saying she had known Schlesinger since the early 1990s.
She said: “Adam was so funny, so kind, so opinionated, so clever, so passionate. We worked together and agreed and disagreed and rejoiced and bemoaned and celebrated and it felt extra sweet for me because I’d known him so long.
“I love that guy. I love all the memories.”
McKenna also shared a song he sent to her and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom.
As of Wednesday, there are at least 206,233 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the United States, with 4,576 deaths.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
