Adam Schlesinger Dies of Complications from COVID-19

Adam Schlesinger, the musician and songwriter best known for co-founding and fronting Fountains of Wayne, died Wednesday morning, April 1st at age 52, as a result of complications due to COVID-19, the coronavirus. It is not known if he had any other illness, condition or other factors that may have intensified the coronavirus’ impact.

Schlesinger (far left in this photo of FOW) was hospitalized and put on a ventilator last week, described as “very sick.” In a statement released via his attorney yesterday, Schlesinger’s family indicated that his condition was improving. Clearly, his situation deteriorated.

Fountains of Wayne’s best-known song, “Stacy’s Mom,” reached No. 21 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2003. Schlesinger was nominated for an Oscar for writing the title song for the 1996 movie That Thing You Do!, was nominated for two Tony awards for his work on the stage adaptation of John Waters’ Cry-Baby, and won two Emmys for his work on the CW’s musical comedy series Crazy Ex-Girlfiend. He was also a member of the pop group Ivy.

Schlesinger is, thus far, the most well-known (and youngest) musician to have died from COVID-19, but certainly not the only one. Jazz pianist Mike Longo succumbed on March 23rd, three days after his 83rd birthday. Cameroonian saxophonist/vibraphonist Manu Dibango died from it the next day, age 86. Alan Merrill of The Arrows (who did the original version of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” in 1975) fell to the coronavirus on March 29, age 69. Country singer Joe Diffie (the 1994 hit “Pickup Man”) died from “complications related to” COVID-19 on March 29, age 61. And jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney passed away March 31, age 59, the cause stated as “complications arising from” the coronavirus. The April 1st death of onetime new wave singer Cristina Monet-Palaci, who recorded two albums for then husband Michael Zilkha’s label Ze Records in the early 1980s, was reportedly due to the Chinese Flu; she was 61. Jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, 94, had experienced severe health issues over the past several years before dying April 1st after being diagnosed with the coronavirus. And pianist Ellis Marsalis Jr., patriarch of the famed Marsalis jazz family, died April 1st at age 85 after being “hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms.”