Cause of death revealed after rock singer Duncan Sheik dies at 56

Singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik died Thursday of organ failure at a Manhattan hospital. His mother, Suzanne Sheik, confirmed the cause to The New York Times.

• 56 years old at his death, Sheik had been in critical condition one day earlier.
• 'Barely Breathing' spent 55 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 16.
• Spring Awakening won eight Tony Awards in 2007, including best musical and best original score.
• The show ran over 860 Broadway performances starting in 2006.

Why it matters: Sheik bridged pop and theater in ways that reshaped both. His career traced a rare path from radio hit to Tony-winning composer.

• Spring Awakening launched the careers of Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, and others who became major stage and screen figures.
• A new off-Broadway production of Spring Awakening was already in development at the time of his death.

How 42 sources split on this story

What’s next: The off-Broadway Spring Awakening revival is slated to open this fall.

• The underlying condition that led to his organ failure has not been disclosed publicly.
• What impact, if any, his death will have on the planned off-Broadway production is not yet known.