Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening Composer and Singer Behind “Barely Breathing,” Dies at 56

Duncan Sheik, the singer-songwriter who scored a 1990s pop hit with “Barely Breathing” before shifting into Tony-winning musical theater, died in Manhattan, according to The New York Times. He was 56. His mother said the cause was cardiac arrest. Earlier in the week, Sheik had been hospitalized in critical but stable condition following an unspecified health issue.

Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, on November 18, 1969, Sheik arrived on pop radio as a young singer-songwriter. “Barely Breathing,” his first single from 1996, peaked at No. 16 on the Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 55 weeks, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. That run gave him a level of endurance rare for a debut single.

After two more studio albums, Sheik turned to composition and found a different audience. Spring Awakening, the rock musical he wrote for Broadway, won him Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations, along with a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. The shift from radio hitmaker to theater composer was not a common one, and Sheik navigated it with a restraint that mirrored his own songwriting.

His most recent album, Claptrap, came out in 2022.