Duncan Sheik, composer of “Spring Awakening”, dies at 56

Duncan Sheik, the American composer and singer-songwriter honored with Tony and Grammy awards for the music of the musical “Spring Awakening”, and known for the ’90s hit “Barely Breathing”, died on Thursday, September 17, in a Manhattan hospital. He was 56.

The news was confirmed by the family on Friday through a statement posted on Sheik’s official Instagram account: “The world has lost a singular talent, a deeply influential voice in music and theatre.” His mother, Suzanne Sheik, told The New York Times that the cause of death was organ failure. The family gave no further details and asked for privacy to be respected at this difficult time.

Just two days earlier, on September 16, the family had announced that Sheik was receiving medical treatment and was in “critical but stable” condition — news that shook the theatre world, where Sheik had two productions on the horizon this season.

Sheik first became known with the song “Barely Breathing”, from his 1996 debut album, which spent 55 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a Grammy nomination for best male pop vocal performance. He then devoted himself to theatre: together with lyricist Steven Sater he wrote the music for “Spring Awakening”, the stage adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s play. The musical, which debuted on Broadway in December 2006, won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, while Sheik was personally honored with two Tonys — for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations — as well as a Grammy for the cast album. The show launched the careers of Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff and John Gallagher Jr.

His theatre career also includes the musicals “American Psycho”, “Alice in Wonderland” and “Whisper House”. This season in New York two of his productions were expected: the new musical “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen”, which begins Off-Broadway performances on September 25, and the return of “Spring Awakening” in November directed by Danya Taymor — a season that now opens in the shadow of the loss of its composer.

Source: Broadway.com