Adam Schlesinger, the cofounder of the pop-rock band Fountains of Wayne and an Emmy-winning songwriter for TV’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” died Wednesday from complications related to COVID-19.
He was 52.
The musician was hospitalized earlier this week and tested positive for the coronavirus. At the time, he was placed on a ventilator, which left him heavily sedated.
Schlesinger was divorced and is survived by two daughters.
“As many of you are aware, Adam had been hospitalized with COVID-19 and although he had been making some small improvements over the last few days, Adam’s condition was critical and he was ultimately unable to recover from COVID-19 complications,” read a statement from the band’s attorney, provided to CNN. “He was truly a prolific talent and even more so, a loving and devoted father, son and friend.”
It added: “We are terribly sorry to convey this loss.”
A highly accomplished — and prolific — songwriter, Schlesinger has been nominated for Oscars, Tonys, Grammys and Emmys and won the latter two awards. At the 2018 Emmys, he was up for two trophies for his “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” work and picked up one, winning for outstanding original music and lyrics on “Anti-Depressants Are So Not a Big Deal.”
He was a 10-time Emmy nominee in all, five of those for “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” an acclaimed musical-comedy series on which he served as executive music producer. Five more nominations came for his contributions to the Tony Awards, “Sesame Street” and a Stephen Colbert Christmas special.
Schlesinger’s Oscar nomination in 1997 was for writing the theme song for the Tom Hanks-directed film “That Thing You Do!” He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his work on that film.
Fountains of Wayne, the band he co-founded with Chris Collingwood, earned two Grammy nominations in 2003, for best new artist (many years after the band’s actual recording debut) and for best pop performance by a group for “Stacy’s Mom,” a catchy pop anthem about a young boy who has a crush on his friend’s mother. The song became the band’s biggest hit.
#RIPAdamSchlesinger – Let's remember Adam through his music. Here are 5 great @fountainsofwayn songs not named "Stacy's Mom." #ripadam @mercnews @eastbaytimes https://t.co/RWIhfUOury
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) April 2, 2020
But his lone Grammy triumph came for best comedy album for his work on “A Stephen Colbert Christmas.”
His two Tony nominations were both for the musical “Cry-Baby,” an adaptation of the John Waters film, in 2008. He had recently collaborated with Sarah Silverman on his first full stage score since then, for an off-Broadway musical, “The Bedwetter,” which had been set to open at the Atlantic Theater Company this spring.
Per Rolling Stone, Schlesinger had “one of the most unique and busiest careers in pop.” With Fountains of Wayne — a group that blended power-pop delight with indie and alt-rock sensibilities — he released five albums between 1996 and 2011. During the same period, he released six albums with his other group, Ivy, all the while building a portfolio of TV and film music.
Schlesinger was especially prolific in the TV world. In addition to his work on “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” he composed songs for “The Dana Carvey Show” and the Amazon comedy series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers, the 2013 Emmy Awards, the 2012 Tony Awards, “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” “My Name Is Earl” and “One Tree Hill.”
Schlesinger was born on Oct. 31, 1967, and grew up in Manhattan before his family moved to New Jersey. While at Williams College in Massachusetts, he met Collingwood and they formed a band.
By 2011, however, a rift had grown between the two men and “Sky Full of Holes” would be the last album from Fountains of Wayne.
“Adam and I just fought constantly making that record,” Collingwood said in a 2016 interview.
