Duncan Sheik, 'Spring Awakening' Composer and 'Barely Breathing' Singer, Dead at 56

Lea Michele, who gained her first major fame as a cast member of Broadway’s Spring Awakening, remembered Duncan Sheik on Friday with a direct, aching tribute. “I met Duncan when I was 14 years old,” Michele wrote in an Instagram Story post, according to Deadline. “I listened to a demo on tape of him singing songs from Spring Awakening outside of my middle school before my first audition.”

She added, “I am at a loss for words. This one hurts and does not seem real.” He was 56. Sheik’s verified Instagram account posted a statement Friday: “It is with profound sadness that we confirm the passing of Duncan Sheik. The world has a lost a singular talent, and deeply influential voice in music and theater.”

The post continued, “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.” Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, on Nov. 18, 1969, Sheik released his self-titled debut album in June 1996. The record’s lead single, “Barely Breathing,” peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 55 consecutive weeks on the chart, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

It remained his only Hot 100 entry. With lyricist Steven Sater, he wrote Spring Awakening, a rock musical based on Frank Wedekind’s 1891 German play about teenage sexuality. The production opened on Broadway in 2006 and ran for more than 860 performances, winning eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Orchestrations.

It also received the Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. Sater posted on Instagram: “Now he’ll walk on my arm through the distant night and I won’t let him stray from my heart… Beloved Duncan. #notgone.” The Spring Awakening musical account added, “Duncan Sheik gave us more than music: he captured the ache, hope, confusion, rebellion, and the beauty of growing up.”

An off-Broadway revival of Spring Awakening, directed by Danya Taymor, is scheduled to begin previews at Studio Seaview on Nov. 27. Michele closed her tribute by sending love to Sheik’s family: “Thank you for everything you gave us. And for the time we had together. Sending all my love and prayers now to Nora, Ines and Duncan’s family.” Sheik later found his defining success in theater.

Sheik continued to work across music and theater.