Fountains of Wayne singer Adam Schlesinger has died today. His lawyer, Josh Grier, said it was due to complications from coronavirus.
The New York Times reports that Schlesinger was 52 years old at the time of his death.
Variety further reports that he had been hospitalized and placed on a ventilator two weeks prior to his death.
Who was Fountains of Wayne singer, Adam Schlesinger?
Movie fans know one of Fountains of Wayne singer Adam Schlesinger’s best songs well.
He wrote the title track for the popular 1996 Tom Hanks’ movie, That Thing You Do.
The Beatles-esque song was perfect for the movie, which had Tom Hanks managing a one-hit-wonder pop band from the ’60s. “That Thing You Do” was their one hit.
The movie was also Tom Hanks’s directorial debut.
Here is a look at the band from the movie, The Oneders, performing the song.
Schlesinger received both an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for the song.
Later in his career, Fountains of Wayne singer Adam Schlesinger began working with David Javerbaum to create songs for the Broadway musical Cry-Baby in 2008.
The musical was based on the 1990 John Waters film starring Johnny Depp in only his fourth movie role — and his breakout lead role.
The musical was nominated for five Tony Awards, including one for Schlesinger for Best Original Score.
Schlesinger won the 2011 Daytime Emmy Award for the song “I Wonder” from Sesame Street and also picked up a 2013 nomination for the theme from Elmo the Musical.
He also picked up a 2012 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for the Neil Patrick Harris Tony Awards song “It’s Not Just For Gays Anymore” and another in 2013 for the song “If I Had Time.”
Schlesinger also wrote music for The CW series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, where he picked up two more Emmy nominations in 2016, one in 2017, and then won in 2019 for his work on the show.
He wrote songs for Shallow Hal, There’s Something About Mary, Josie and the Pussycats, Art School Confidential, The Manchurian Candidate, and Fever Pitch.
He performed in the bands, Ivy and Tinted Windows, on top of his work with Fountains of Wayne.
Tributes for Fountains of Wayne singer, Adam Schlesinger
After his death, tributes began to pour in on Twitter.
The former President of the Television Critics Association said that That Thing You Do works so well because it left fans “BELIEVING that that song could make a career. And you do! Completely! Because it’s a immaculate and miraculous.”
Leaving all of the Fountains of Wayne and "Crazy Ex" songs out of the equation, "That Thing You Do" is an astonishing song because an entire movie hinges on you BELIEVING that that song could make a career. And you do! Completely! Because it's a immaculate and miraculous.
— Daniel Fienberg (@TheFienPrint) April 1, 2020
Author Bret Easton Ellis called him the “greatest pop songwriter of his generation,” calling Welcome Insterstate Managers his masterpiece.
RIP: Adam Schlesinger, probably the greatest pop songwriter of his generation. Created at least three seminal records with Fountains of Wayne. Welcome Interstate Managers is the masterpiece.
All Kinds Of Time https://t.co/eDGDmANqHL via @YouTube— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) April 1, 2020
This has to be bittersweet for Tom Hanks, who has returned home from Australia after contracting and recovering from coronavirus.