Lea Michele pays tribute to Spring Awakening composer Duncan Sheik, dead at 56

Lea Michele has paid tribute to Duncan Sheik, the composer of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening, after his death in New York at the age of 56.

News of Sheik's death was confirmed on 18 September. His sister, Suzanne Sheik, told the New York Times that he died from cardiac arrest, according to Reuters. A post on his Instagram account on Wednesday had said he was critically ill.

Sheik was a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, as reported by CNN. He wrote the music for Spring Awakening, a stage musical about teenagers in 19th-century Germany. The work brought him two Tony Awards, the annual honours for Broadway theatre, in 2007 for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations. He shared the score award with lyricist and co-writer Steven Sater, according to Rolling Stone.

Michele starred in the original production. In her tribute, she said her connection with Sheik began early. She was 14.

She said she first met him around that time. Before her first audition, she listened to a demo tape of Sheik singing songs from the show outside her middle school.

Michele shared her message on Instagram. She wrote: "This one hurts and does not seem real."

The post included rehearsal footage of the pair together. In it, Michele sings "Mama Who Bore Me," one of the musical's songs, while Sheik accompanies her on guitar in a rehearsal room.

For many viewers, that working relationship defined both careers. Spring Awakening gave Michele her breakthrough stage role before her move into television and recording. It gave Sheik a move from recording into theatre writing.