Tom Hanks has paid tribute to Fountains of Wayne musician Adam Schlesinger, who died on Wednesday after contracting the coronavirus.
In addition to having hits with his band, including Stacy’s Mom, Adam was a prolific songwriter for TV and film and was nominated for an Oscar for the title track to Hanks’ directorial debut, That Thing You Do!, a comedy about a fictional 1960s band called The Oneders.
Paying tribute to Schlesinger, Hanks, who has recovered from Covid-19 himself, wrote on Twitter: “There would be no Playtone (the record label from the movie) without Adam Schlesinger, without his That Thing You Do! He was a One-der. Lost him to Covid-19. Terribly sad today.”
In addition to his Oscar nomination, Schlesinger also won three Emmys for his work in TV, as well as two Grammy Awards, and two Tony nominations for his and David Javerbaum’s musical Cry-Baby.
Schlesinger’s tragic death came just a day after his family told WENN in a statement that his condition was “improving” and that they were “cautiously optimistic” about his prospects after he was hospitalised in upstate New York, despite being sedated and placed on a ventilator.
A host of other stars also paid tribute to the musician, including his close friend, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend creator Aline Brosh McKenna, who he worked with on more than 150 songs for the show over four seasons.
In a statement posted on Twitter, she praised him for being “so funny, so kind, so opinionated, so clever, so passionate.”
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn tweeted: “I was a huge Fountains of Wayne fan, and I just found out about the passing of Adam Schlesinger. Heartbreaking.”
Another pal, How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris, added: “Oh my god. Just reading that Adam Schlesinger passed away from Coronavirus complications. A brilliant musician and writer, we shared many award show moments together. He was so kind. Gone too soon. I’m reeling. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
Stephen Colbert, Stephen King, and Rachel Bloom also paid tribute to the late musician.
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