Friday, September 18, 2026

Broadway, Pop World Mourn Duncan Sheik, 56, Tony Winning Composer of “Spring Awakening,” Singer of Hit “Barely Breathing”

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Very sad news this morning.

Tony winning composer Duncan Sheik has died at 56. His family says it’s from cardiac arrest.

Two nights ago, the family posted on Instagram that Sheik was in the hospital and very ill.

The writer of the Broadway hit “Spring Awakening,” he was also known for his big chart hit, “Barely Breathing,” in the 90s.

He had a new show, called Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen, a musical set to begin performances on September 25, 2026, at The Night Egg at the Culture Club in New York.

Here’s a link to his Times obit. More to come. Condolences to his family and friends.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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