News \

Adam Schlesinger, Fountains of Wayne Songwriter, Dies at 52 Due to Coronavirus

He was admitted to the hospital last week

Adam Schlesinger, the Fountains of Wayne songwriter and bassist, has died at the age of 52 due to complications from coronavirus, SPIN has confirmed.

A statement from the family will be issued this evening.

Just yesterday, it was reported that Schlesinger had been hospitalized last week in upstate New York due to the virus.

Schlesinger’s girlfriend, Alexis Morley, confirmed his status to Pitchfork yesterday. “He is on a ventilator and has been sedated to facilitate his recovery,” she said.

He is in critical condition but his condition is improving slightly and we are cautiously optimistic,” Morley told Pitchfork. News of Schlesinger’s hospitalization circulated on Monday night.

Schlesinger was born on Oct. 31, 1967 in Manhattan. His family moved to New Jersey, which is where he lived before heading to college in Massachusetts. At Williams College, he met Chris Collingwood where they’d form alt-pop outfit Fountains of Wayne. In 2003, Fountains of Wayne scored a huge hit with “Stacy’s Mom,” the cheeky song (and memorable video starring Rachel Hunter) that would land at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.

Fountains of Wayne would go on a permanent hiatus in 2013.

In addition to his work with Fountains of Wayne, Schlesinger has been known for writing songs for film and TV, including the theme for That Thing You Do! where he was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. He also won two Emmys for his work on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.