RIP Adam Schlesinger

[Isgrimnur]

Variety

Adam Schlesinger, a musician and songwriter highly regarded for his work as a member of Fountains of Wayne and an Emmy-winning songwriter for TV’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” has died as a result of coronavirus complications, Variety has confirmed. He was 52.

Schlesinger passed away Wednesday morning. He was divorced and is survived by two daughters.

Schlesinger had previously been reported Tuesday morning as “very sick and heavily sedated” by his attorney of 25 years, Josh Grier. Schlesinger had been in an upstate New York hospital for more than a week at that time, Grier said.

An EGOT contender, 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 in the outstanding original music and lyrics category for the song “Antidepressants Are So Not A Big Deal” (shared with the show’s star, Rachel Bloom, and Jack Dolgen). He was a 10-time Emmy nominee in all, five of those for “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” for 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.

[Smoove_B]

GODDAMIT

[Jeff V]

Just read that. Wonder what the death toll among celebs is going to be before this is over.

[Eel Snave]

Ugh. This one hurts so much. I've been a fan since 1996. Fuck COVID and fuck the people who did fucking NOTHING while we knew it was going to happen.

[ImLawBoy]

GODDAMIT

I'm there with you. I'm pretty sure I first got into Fountains of Wayne when triggercut was hyping Welcome Interstate Managers on GG. The album wasn't perfect - it had a bit of bloat and not all the songs landed - but most artists would kill for a career that had as many earworms as that one album.

[Smoove_B]

I'm there with you. I'm pretty sure I first got into Fountains of Wayne when triggercut was hyping Welcome Interstate Managers on GG. The album wasn't perfect - it had a bit of bloat and not all the songs landed - but most artists would kill for a career that had as many earworms as that one album.

It's extra tough for me because they were definitely a "path out" for me during the grunge years of 1991-1995 or so. Just a whole different sound - and the fact that they were named after a lawn ornament store in NJ was even better. Seriously, the opening track to their debut album:



Is just so damn good - the guitar just sings. The vocal tone is a little down, but the harmonies kick in and the whole song lifts you. So great and so underappreciated. I have nothing but happy thoughts when I hear this entire album because of the time in my life when it came out and to have him die this way...it's just so tragic. This hits me hard.

[hentzau]

He was responsible for one of my favorite movies, That Thing You Do.



And the reason I say he was responsible was because that movie would have been terrible without the title song. He came up with the perfect believable pop one hit wonder song that you could believe happened, and also that you didn't mind hearing about 20 times during the course of the movie. Damn near perfect song.