Adam Schlesinger, the bassist for Fountains of Wayne and co-writer of the hit song "Stacy's Mom," dies of coronavirus, aged 52, earlier today, April 1.
The bassist's lawyer, Josh Grier, released a statement before 4 PM Pacific Time, Wednesday.
Multiple sources, including a fan page for the band, earlier reported that Adam Schlesinger was hospitalized and was in a medically-induced coma. However, his lawyers refuted any claim that the Fountains of Wayne bassist was in a coma. Jamie Hernan, also a lawyer for Schlesinger, told Yahoo! News that the reports were inaccurate. He did affirm that the 52-year-old musician has been hospitalized for more than a week at the time of the interview.
Herman also provided the media outlet with a family statement, expressing gratitude for "the outpouring of love and for Adam and his family".
In a separate interview with Variety, lawyer Josh Grier admitted that Adam was "very sick and [was] heavily sedated", but added that "no one has used the word 'coma' to me." Grier also added that the bassist was receiving "excellent medical care".
Condolences have poured from co-workers and fans on social media. Adam's friend, Aline Brosh McKenna, shared a Twitter post detailing the pop-rock icon's work on "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend". She shared that Schlesinger had a hand in 157 songs together with Rachel Bloom and Jack Dolgen for over 4 seasons of the series. McKenna also said that "Adam was so funny, so kind, so opinionated, so clever, so passionate".
Chris Carraba, frontman for rock band Dashboard Confessional, said in the band's Twitter that he is "grasping for the right words". He noted Adam's most popular works, from his songs with Fountains of Wayne, to his work in TV and movies. Carraba noted that he knew Schlesinger as a "mentor and a friend" before reiterating to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously.
Adam Schlesinger is best known for being the bassist and backup vocals of Fountains of Wayne, of which he is also a founding member. He also co-founded Indie act Ivy, as well as the rock supergroup Tinted Windows. Schlesinger also contributed songs he wrote for Brooklyn synth-pop Fever High.
He has been moving towards an EGOT recognition; he has already earned nominations for the Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and Tonys - where he already won the first two. His work for "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" earned him two nominations at the 2019 Tony Awards, winning "Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics" for the song "Antidepressants Are So Not a Big Deal".
Fountains of Wayne was first nominated for Grammy awards with their now-iconic "Stacy's Mom" back in 2003. However, Schlesinger would bag his first Grammy in 2009 for Best Comedy Album for his work in the album "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!" together with David Javerbaum.
His Oscar nominations came from the songs he wrote for the Tom Hanks film "That Thing You Do", especially the movie's title track. Also, both Adam Schlesinger and David Javerbaum together earned two Tony nominations for 2008's Best Original Score and Best Musical for "Cry Baby".
