Saturday, April 20, 2024

UPDATED Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, Dies at 52 from Coronavirus, Oscar Nominated for Tom Hanks Movie, Wrote “Stacy’s Mom”

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THURSDAY MORNING: There are a lot of tributes all over the internet. Micky Dolenz says:

“Adam was a joy to work with on every level. Smart, creative, sophisticated … the real deal. Tragic loss. There really are no words.”

 

The saddest news is that Adam Schlesinger died today at age 52. The Fountains of Wayne frontman was in an induced coma, which his lawyer lied about yesterday to Variety.

Schlesinger was Oscar nominated for Best Song for the title track to Tom Hanks’s “That Thing You Do!” His most famous Fountains of Wayne song was “Stacy’s Mom.” He wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical based on John Waters’ “Cry Baby.”

As I wrote yesterday, or some day not sure, I met Adam when he wrote and produced the Monkees’ big hit comeback album, “Good Times,” in 2016. Peter Tork was still alive then. He and Micky Dolenz played Town Hall in New York, Adam was there, and we all spent the evening together. He was such a lovely guy, so smart about music, very clever. This is really a terrible tragedy.

Condolences to Adam’s family and friends.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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