Singer-songwriter and Tony-winning composer Duncan Sheik dies at 56

Duncan Sheik, a singer and Broadway composer, died on Thursday in Manhattan. He was 56. His mother, Suzanne Sheik, confirmed his death. The cause was cardiac arrest.

Sheik first became famous in the mid-1990s with his debut album. The song "Barely Breathing" reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and earned him a Grammy nomination for best male pop vocal performance.

He later moved away from pop music and began writing for the theatre. He composed the music for "Spring Awakening," a Broadway musical that won him two Tony Awards.