Adam Schlesinger, ‘Fountains of Wayne’ Musician, Dies At 52 Of Coronavirus Complications

Adam Schlesinger, an Emmy and Grammy-winning songwriter and co-founder of the band Fountains of Wayne, has died of health complications from COVID-19.

The acclaimed musician and father of two passed away at a hospital in upstate New York at the age of 52, his lawyer told The Associated Press.

Adam was nominated for two Grammys for his work with Fountains of Wayne: Best New Artist and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group for “Stacy’s Mom.” He was also well-known for his work composing music for a wide range of TV, film and theater projects, including the CW’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” He earned an Oscar and Golden Globe nod for penning the title track for Tom Hanks’ “That Thing You Do!” and wrote three songs in the romantic comedy “Music and Lyrics.”

His projects connected him with stars from across the industry, who all mourned his loss on social media.

“There would be no Playtone without Adam Schlesinger, without his That Thing You Do!” Tom Hanks wrote of Adam’s work on his 1996 music comedy. “He was a One-der. Lost him to Covid-19. Terribly sad today. Hanx.”

Ethan Embry, who portrayed The Oneders’ bass player in the film, wrote, “I remember the day all the Oneders, @LivTyler and @tomhanks sat in a room and played about 6 submitted tracks from different bands for That Thing You Do. When we heard Adam Schlesinger’s cassette it was instantly clear which track we would need to learn.”

https://twitter.com/EmbryEthan/status/1245507330311159808

“Oh god. Adam Schlesinger was wildly talented,” Kathy Griffin tweeted. “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,” adding a broken heart emoji.

Jimmy Kimmel wrote, “I am very sorry to hear the terrible news about Adam Schlesinger. I had the pleasure of working with Adam when he wrote the theme to Crank Yankers. He was a kind and super-talented man who will be missed. Sending love to his family, friends and fans.”

Rachel Bloom, who worked side-by-side with Adam on “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” shared her heartbroken reaction to his passing.

“I have so much to say about Adam Schlesinger that I am at a complete loss for words. He is irreplaceable,” she tweeted.

https://twitter.com/Racheldoesstuff/status/1245543064900259845

Read more celebrity tributes to Adam below.

https://twitter.com/elijahwood/status/1245494480272158722

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1245497710347608064

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