Duncan Sheik's Heartbreaking Final Days Before His Passing at 56
Duncan Sheik died on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 56.
The “Barely Breathing” singer’s loved ones announced his passing “with profound sadness” in an Instagram statement Friday.
“The world has a lost a singular talent, and deeply influential voice in music and theater,” his family wrote of the beloved “father, husband, son, brother, and friend.”
The social media upload continued, “He will be remembered for his sensitivity, wit, intelligence, and depth of spirit he brought to those who knew and loved him.
“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love from his fans, friends, collaborators, and the artistic community. His musical legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.”
The statement concluded that Sheik passed away “surrounded by love.”
The late songwriter’s mother confirmed to the New York Times on Friday that Sheik died in a Manhattan hospital after a cardiac arrest.
His cause of death, per People, was organ failure.
Sheik’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
On Wednesday, Sheik’s family broke the news via Instagram that the Tony winner had been “receiving medical care” and was in “critical but stable condition.”
They neglected from sharing “medical details” while navigating the “difficult time” and thanked fans for the “love and support.”
Sheik shot to fame in 1996 with his “Barely Breathing” single, which earned him a Grammy win for best male pop vocal performance.
The hit peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 55 weeks, which set the record for the fourth-longest run at the time.
While he continued to release music, with his ninth studio album, “Claptrap,” coming out in 2022, Sheik transitioned to a Broadway career in 2006, a move he explained to NPR in 2009.
“The music that I was doing really didn’t have a lot of kinship with that other kind of pop music,” he said, referencing the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. “So while on the one hand, I was like, musical theater wasn’t my real house either at all, I was definitely ready to try something new and different.”
For his Broadway debut, he wrote the music for “Spring Awakening” with Steven Stater.
This resulted in Sheik’s two Tony wins for best original score and best orchestrations, and he went on to write the music and lyrics for the “American Psycho” adaptation in 2016.
His latest project, “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen,” begins previews Off-Broadway next week.
Additionally, a “Spring Awakening” revival is kicking off later this year.
Sheik, who was born in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1969 and raised in South Carolina, is survived by his mom and siblings, as well as daughter Inez, whom he welcomed in 2018 with wife Nora Ariffin.
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