Duncan Sheik, whose hit "Barely Breathing" saturated the airwaves in the 1990s, died on Thursday in Mahattan. He was 56. 

His mother, Suzanne Sheik, confirmed his death, saying he died of cardiac arrest in a hospital, the New York Times reported. 

Sheik arrived in Los Angeles in 1992 with a demo tape and a touch of stage fright. He'd previously played in a band with Lisa Loeb, who'd go on to produce her own hit. In a 2011 interview with the site Pop Dose, he said he "could barely sing in public to save my life at that point." 

Yet a few years later, he released his first, self-titled album. The single "Barely Breathing" off the album earned a Grammy nomination and rose to No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the chart for 55 weeks. It was, at the time, the fourth-longest run ever. 

He later gave up music for a career on Broadway.