
September 18th, 2026
Duncan Sheik has died at 56.
He was a singer-songwriter who won Tony and Grammy awards and wrote the music for “Spring Awakening.”
He died Thursday night, according to a post on his Instagram page.
The post called him a singular talent and a deeply influential voice in music and theater.
Sheik was best known for his radio hit “Barely Breathing” before he turned to Broadway with “Spring Awakening.”
The show musicalized teenage angst and ran for over 860 performances starting in 2006.
It won eight Tony Awards, including best musical, and a Grammy for best musical show album.
The musical was adapted from a 19th-century play by Frank Wedekind, with lyrics by Steven Sater.
Sheik also wrote musicals based on “American Psycho” and “Alice in Wonderland.”
“Barely Breathing” spent 55 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at No. 16.
In 2015, he told the Los Angeles Times that his mission was to make sure theater pays attention to what the rest of the world is listening to.
The original cast of “Spring Awakening” included Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele and John Gallagher Jr., who later found fame in TV, film and stage.
An off-Broadway version is set to open this fall, along with his musical “Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen.”
Sheik is survived by his parents, his wife, Nora Ariffin, and a daughter, Ines.
September 18th, 2026

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