Duncan Sheik, the singer-songwriter whose haunting 1996 hit Barely Breathing became one of the defining songs of the decade, has died at 56. Sheik reportedly passed away in Manhattan on Thursday, September 17, with his mother, Suzanne Sheik, confirming his death to The New York Times. According to his family, he had been receiving medical treatment in the days before his death and was described as being in “critical but stable” condition one day earlier. His mother said heart failure ultimately led to cardiac arrest. Released on Sheik’s self-titled debut album, Barely Breathing became a major commercial success, spending 55 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaking at No. 16. The song also earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. But Sheik’s career extended well beyond his signature hit. He later found major success in musical theater, collaborating with lyricist Steven Sater on Spring Awakening, the acclaimed Broadway musical about adolescents coming of age in 19th-century Germany.

Spring Awakening became a Broadway sensation, taking home eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, while its cast recording won a Grammy. Sheik continued developing music for the stage through projects such as American Psycho, Alice by Heart, Whisper House, and The Secret Life of Bees. At the same time, he maintained his career as a recording artist, releasing his final album, Claptrap, in 2022. Following his death, Sheik’s family remembered him not only as a musician but also as a husband, father, son, brother, and friend, highlighting his sensitivity, intelligence, humor, and “depth of spirit.” He is survived by his wife, Nora Ariffin, and their seven-year-old daughter, Ines. For listeners who discovered him through Barely Breathing, Sheik’s death marks the loss of a distinctive voice whose career ultimately grew far beyond the song that first made him famous.