Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger Dead at 52 From COVID-19
Adam Schlesinger, the singer-songwriter behind Fountains of Wayne and a vast repertoire of film and TV music, has died after being hospitalized with COVID-19, Rolling Stone reports. His lawyer confirmed that he died from complications of the coronavirus. He was 52.
Born in 1967, the New Yorker played bass in the indie-pop band Ivy while juggling commercial work. He was the chief songwriter in Fountains of Wayne, formed in 1996, who released a string of hit albums and picked up Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and their biggest single, the semi-parodic “Stacy’s Mom.” “I think we tapped into a weird moment in the culture,” Schlesinger told The New York Times in 2005.
Particularly in his songs for the screen, Schlesinger specialized in faintly ironic pop that balanced corniness and sincerity. His title track for Tom Hanks’ 1996 film That Thing That You Do!—performed by the fictional beat combo the Wonders—was nominated for an Oscar the following year. His other screen hits include “Way Back Into Love” from the rom-com Music and Lyrics, about a pair of pop songwriters, and original songs for the musical-comedy TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, on which he was the executive music producer.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
