Duncan Sheik, singer and Spring Awakening composer, dies at 56

Singer-songwriter and composer Duncan Sheik died Thursday at a Manhattan hospital from organ failure, his mother Suzanne Sheik confirmed to the New York Times. He was 56.

According to posts on his social media, Sheik had been in and out of hospital over the past month. On 20 August he shared a photo noting he would rather be home making music, but that hospital stays had their benefits too. On Wednesday, the day before his death, his team said he was in "critical but stable condition".

From pop star to Broadway composer

Sheik, who held a semiotics degree from Brown University, moved to Los Angeles in 1992 to record a demo after playing backup guitar for his college friend Lisa Loeb. He broke through with his self-titled debut album, whose introspective sound stood apart from the grunge dominating the era.

His single "Barely Breathing" became a radio staple, spending 55 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 — at the time the fourth-longest run in the chart's history. However, Sheik grew uncomfortable with his image as an MTV heartthrob and sex symbol, and as the decade closed and pop shifted toward the manufactured sound of acts like the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, he chose to pursue a different creative path rather than compete in that arena.

Working with poet and playwright Steven Sater, with whom he had already collaborated on the 2001 album "Phantom Moon", Sheik began developing a musical based on Frank Wedekind's 1891 play "Spring Awakening". The show, which tackled sensitive themes including abortion, abuse and suicide, became an immediate hit upon opening in 2006 and won eight Tony Awards, including best musical. It ran on Broadway for more than two years, helping launch the careers of actors Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff, was revived in 2015, and a new off-Broadway production is set to open this November.

Sheik went on to compose several more musicals, including "Alice By Heart" and an adaptation of "American Psycho". He also continued releasing non-theatrical music, including a 2011 collection of covers of 1980s British acts and his final album, "Claptrap", released in 2022.