Duncan Sheik
American · 56 years old · Died 17 September 2026
Singer-songwriter: "Barely Breathing"; Tony-winning composer of Spring Awakening
Cause of death
Heart failure leading to cardiac arrest
Duncan Sheik broke through in 1996 with "Barely Breathing", one of the defining soft-rock hits of the decade. He found a second act on Broadway, writing the music for Spring Awakening, which won him Tony Awards in 2007. A day before his death his family said he was receiving medical care and was in critical but stable condition. He died in a Manhattan hospital on the night of September 17 from heart failure leading to cardiac arrest. He was 56.
How common is cardiovascular disease?
Duncan Sheik died of heart failure leading to cardiac arrest. Globally, cardiovascular disease kills 18,600,000 people every year. That is 50,959 per day, or roughly one person every 2 seconds. It accounts for 30% of all deaths worldwide.
Deaths / year
18,600,000
Deaths / day
50,959
Deaths / hour
2,123
Deaths / second
0.59
Share of all global deaths
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease
Since Duncan Sheik died
Live count since 17 September 2026
Total deaths worldwide since then
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Deaths from same cause since then
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