Singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik, best known for his Grammy-nominated 1996 single “Barely Breathing,” has passed away. He was 56.
Sheik died on September 17, one day after his family revealed on Instagram that he had been hospitalized. Today (September 18), they shared the news that he “passed away last night surrounded by love.”
His mother Suzanne Sheik told The New York Times that his death was caused by heart failure leading to cardiac arrest.
A message on Instagram writes that his “artistry touched many and leaves an indelible mark on the cultural landscape. Duncan was a father, husband, son, brother, and friend. He will be remembered for his sensitivity, wit, inteligence, and depth of spirit he brought to those who knew and loved him. His musical legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.”
Sheik broke onto the scene in 1996 with his self-titled debut album, which went gold thanks to the success of first single “Barely Breathing.” That song reached #16 on the Billboard 100, and remained in the chart for 55 weeks.
He would release nine studio albums in total. His most recent album was 2022’s Claptrap.
As a theatre composer, he found more success, most notably through teaming up with playwright Steven Sater. In 2007, Sheik won the Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for his work on Sater’s Spring Awakening, the coming-of-age rock musical that cleaned up at the Tonys that year.
Sheik also wrote the music and lyrics for the musical adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho, for which he was nominated for Outstanding New Score by the Outer Critics Circle Awards. He teamed up once again with Sater in 2012 for the musical Alice by Heart, based on Alice in Wonderland.
He also composed original scores for the films A Home at the End of the World (2004) and Harvest (2010).
Sheik is survived by his family, including wife, Nora Ariffin, and their seven-year-old daughter Ines.