Fountains Of Wayne bassist and songwriter Adam Schlesinger passes away, age 52

(Image credit: Jay West / Getty)

The award-winning singer-songwriter Adam Schlesinger has passed away at the age of 52 after being diagnosed with coronavirus. He was best known as the bassist and co-songwriter of rock band Fountains Of Wayne.

According to Variety he passed away on Wednesday morning (1 April) in a New York hospital. His family has released a statement on Tuesday saying that Schlesinger was in a New York hospital fighting the illness Covid-19. 

Schlesinger was the bassist and co-songwriter in New Jersey's Fountains Of Wayne alongside vocalist / guitarist  Chris Collingwood, best known for hits including Stacy's Mom, Hey Julie and Sink To The Bottom.

His career also saw him earn acclaim as a songwriter away from the band with Grammy and Emmy wins, plus nominations for an Oscar and a Tony award.

His trio of Emmy wins include outstanding original music and lyrics in 2019 for Antidepressants Are So Not A Big Deal from the TV musical drama Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

His Oscar nomination was for the title track That Thing You Do!, a film that starred Tom Hanks and focussed on the fortunes of fictitious band The Wonders who have a hit with the song. 

Schlesinger was divorced and is survived by his two daughters. 

Rob Laing
Reviews Editor, GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars

Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.