It sounds out of character, but in the past year Adam had grown open to, and eventually enthusiastic about, taking long walks outdoors (we just weren’t allowed to call them ‘hikes'). He did the gig as a favor, in a little home studio on a Saturday.”, “From his work with Fountains of Wayne to his award-winning credits in TV, movies, and stage, millions of fans caught that radiation vibe Adam Schlesinger was groovin’ on,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy added. He kept telling me how much he loved me and thanked me for “saving [his] life”. (L-R) Adam Schlesinger, Rachel Bloom and Jack Dolgen pose for photos in the press room for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Adam Schlesinger’s girlfriend details his last moments before he died from COVID-19 Singer-songwriter Adam Schlesinger’s girlfriend posted a touching tribute Sunday on Instagram. Then I had one thing that people knew, and then a few years on I had a couple other songs that people knew. “There would be no Playtone without Adam Schlesinger, without his That Thing You Do! In a 2003 interview with MTV, Schlesinger explained that the track was inspired by a very particular incident: “One of my best friends, when we were maybe 11 or 12, came to me and announced that he thought my grandmother was hot,” he recalled. © Copyright 2021 Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. Then, she "never got to hear his voice again." For most of his stint in Fountains of Wayne, Schlesinger was also regularly recording and touring with his other group, Ivy, which released six LPs between 1996 and 2011. Rachel Bloom discusses new memoir, Adam Schlesinger's death: 'It still doesn't feel quite real' David Oliver, USA TODAY 12/8/2020 After top staff exodus, Texas AG seeks $43M for Google suit At the time, he was placed on a ventilator and heavily sedated. It had been a dark, overcast day, but at that moment the sun came out for just a few minutes and lit up the entire sky.”. Adam Schlesinger, Rachel Bloom and Jack Dolgen at the Emmys on 14 September 2019 in Los Angeles, California. I never got to hear his voice again.". Schlesinger grew up in Manhattan and Montclair, New Jersey, and he attended Montclair High School. We want to hear from you! But Adam looked sweet, peaceful, beautiful. The track peaked at Number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, while its video — which starred model Rachel Hunter and featured various references to the Cars and the Eighties teen comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High — earned heavy rotation on MTV. Kimberly Butler/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images. Hollywood star Tom Hanks, who was also recently diagnosed with coronavirus, mourned Schlesinger’s death on Twitter with a heartwarming post. At the time of his death, Schlesinger was writing the music for the upcoming musical version of The Nanny with his Crazy Ex-Girlfriend collaborator Bloom. “We spent such a sweet week together, our roles kind of reversed because usually Adam was the one to take care of me. Peace.”, Schlesinger earned a Tony nomination for co-writing the score for the 2008 Broadway musical Cry-Baby, based on the John Waters film of the same name and received back-to-back Emmys in 2012 and 2013 for original songs he wrote for the Tonys, “It’s Not Just for Gays Anymore” and “If I Had Time.” He allso served as a composer and executive music producer for the CW’s hit musical series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, ultimately earning his third Emmy for the Season Four song, “Anti-Depressants are So Not a Big Deal.”. Morley went on to describe Schlesinger’s first symptoms. Adam Schlesinger’s girlfriend, Alexis Morley, is sharing some moments from his final days before he died from complications of the coronavirus disease. “An honor to live at the same time he made his work.”, “Oh god. “From the Dana Carvey Show to A Colbert Christmas Special, he was a great (and patient) and talented artist with whom it was my good luck to work. Answering everyone will take a long time. © 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. His first hit came in 1996, but it was a song engineered to sound like it was actually from the Sixties: “That Thing You Do.” The track served as the sole hit for the Wonders, the fake band at the center of Tom Hanks’ film That Thing You Do! When you’re just starting out and you want to be a songwriter, you want to be able to mention something that people have heard of.”, “Adam Schlesinger took pop music writing to its classiest and most untouchable place,” Jack Antonoff wrote. Peace.”, that I am at a complete loss for words,” Bloom wrote. Truly a devastating loss.”, Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger: 20 Essential Songs. He was married to Katherine Michel. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. I drove home alone through a snowstorm terrified (the first time I’d driven a car in years), but we spent the night texting, making cute jokes, feeling optimistic. It’s a weird thing. 8 months ago. Adam Schlesinger’s girlfriend recounts details of his last days before death from COVID-19 complications Updated Apr 28, 2020; Posted Apr 27, 2020 Adam Schlesinger was … Schlesinger won several Emmys for his work on the Tony Awards and the TV series “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," won a Grammy for the comedy album “A Colbert Christmas" and was nominated for an Oscar for writing the title track of the 1996 Tom Hanks movie “That Thing You Do!”. 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