Founding member of Fountains of Wayne and award-winning songwriter Adam Schlesinger died on Wednesday in upstate New York.

The 52-year-old had been placed on a ventilator after experiencing poor health. Just the day before his death, Fountains of Wayne bandmate Chris Collingwood had taken to Twitter to share Schlesinger’s family’s statement that “his condition is improving and we are cautiously optimistic.” Schlesinger’s lawyer Jaime Herman shared their full statement: “Thank you for the outpouring of love for Adam and his family. Adam has been hospitalized with COVID-19. He’s on a ventilator and has been sedated to facilitate his recovery. He is receiving excellent care, his condition is improving and we are cautiously optimistic. His family appreciates all of the love and support.”

Throughout his career as a producer, engineer, and songwriter, Schlesinger won three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award for his work, as well as an Oscar nomination for writing the title track for Tom Hank’s 1996 film That Thing That You Do. As the bass player of Fountains of Wayne, Schlesinger co-wrote the hit 2003 song “Stacey’s Mom,” which peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song has since embedded itself in the history of pop-rock as an irreverent cult favorite that soundtracked the early aughts.

Schlesinger is survived by his two children. If any misguided individuals still question the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, hopefully the music industry’s great loss will illustrate its stark reality.

Fountains of Wayne – Stacy’s Momyoutu.be