'Crazy-Ex Girlfriend' Songwriter Adam Schlesinger Dies at 52 Due to COVID-19
“Crazy-Ex Girlfriend” songwriter and Fountains of Wayne founding band member Adam Schlesinger has died from complications due to COVID-19 at the age of 52, according to Variety, on Wednesday.
Schlesinger rose to prominence as a musician and songwriter with the Grammy-winning ’90s band Fountains of Wayne, most popular for their hit song “Stacy’s Mom.” He went on to write music for many other projects, including the soundtrack for “That Thing You Do!” and “Josie and the Pussycats.”
Alongside Rachel Bloom, Schlesinger co-wrote many of the songs on “Crazy-Ex Girlfriend,” a popular TV series acclaimed for its portrayal of mental health. He won an Emmy for outstanding original music and lyrics category for the song “Antidepressants Are So Not A Big Deal” from the series.
According to Variety, Schlesinger’s lawyer said he was “very sick and heavily sedated” and been in the hospital for about a week due to COVID-19, a virus that can cause serious respiratory infection. As of Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported more than 186,000 COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and 3,600 deaths.
Please keep Adam in your thoughts and prayers. It’s been an extremely scary week. https://t.co/nEw4B1rFyw
— Rachel Bloom (@Racheldoesstuff) March 31, 2020
Fans, friends and colleagues reacted to Schlesinger’s death on Twitter and shared condolences.
It feels so hollow to conflate someone's life with their work, but Adam did so much brilliant music: Fountains of Wayne, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Music and Lyrics, That Thing You Do, Josie and the Pussycats, A Colbert Christmas. This is a such a staggering and heartbreaking loss.
— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) April 1, 2020
RIP Adam Schlesinger. A fantastic power pop songwriter who should be remembered/revered not only for the Fountains of Wayne stuff, but for Josie and the Pussycats, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and That Thing You Do. Every song he did was a catchy earworm. pic.twitter.com/obzkIezfFv
— Brian Truitt (@briantruitt) April 1, 2020
Oh no. FoW was a huge part of my life soundtrack in the 2000s. Schlesinger was an immense talent. Beautifully-crafted pop, lyrics dripping with wit and satire. Welcome Interstate Managers is a near-perfect pop album.
RIP. And thank you for the music.https://t.co/8Etm0QQ7yN
— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) April 1, 2020
the band ivy, one of adam schlesinger's many beautiful projects, provided pivotal inspiration to us at the moment we were becoming a band. adam schlesinger loved pop music and he was beautifully good at it. please listen to his work. and please let's beat this virus.
— Stars (@youarestars) April 1, 2020
it was impossible to spend a minute with Adam Schlesinger & not feel all lit up by his boyish enthusiasm for music. he was a worldly adult who somehow never lost that that pure glow of fandom. he was one of a kind & this is just a devastating loss. https://t.co/BY3Wk2tdw4
— rob sheffield (@robsheff) April 1, 2020
absolutely gutted. Adam Schlesinger's contributions to music, via Fountains of Wayne and #CrazyExGirlfriend, I mean… I can't even begin to sum up how much joy his work brought me. A genius. Sending love to his creative families & his loved ones ????https://t.co/iW5GhMrEhm
— Mo Ryan (@moryan) April 1, 2020
Adam Schlesinger had a hand in so many songs I love–music that is joyous, verbal, peppy, sometimes struttable and often FUNNY AS HELL (an undervalued quality in songwriting). So sad for him and his family and for all the songs we'll never hear. https://t.co/XwtESuNcPf
— Julia Turner (@juliaturner) April 1, 2020
One of the best songs ever written. Genius level.#RIP #AdamSchlesinger.
This is all just so surreal.https://t.co/c5DytoOtcr— The Dollyrots (@TheDollyrots) April 1, 2020
Oh god. Adam Schlesinger was wildly talented. He graciously wrote the theme song to my “KATHY” talk show called “I’ll say it” He was so patient with me as I was recording it in the booth, guiding me at every step. He did the gig as a favor, in a little home studio on a Saturday???? https://t.co/SpTdcoBIco
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) April 1, 2020
Renée Fabian was the features editor at The Mighty. She has also written for The Washington Post, VICE, Healthline, Talkspace, The Fix, The Establishment, The Culture Trip, and GRAMMY.com, among others. Renée was named a 2019 AHCJ Comparative Effectiveness Research fellow, a 2020 USC Center for Health Journalism California fellow, and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles. You can follow her on Twitter @ryfabian.
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