Jon Bernthal Remembers His Cousin And Singer Adam Schlesinger

Earlier this week, Fountains of Wayne singer Adam Schlesinger passed away due to coronavirus complications, prompting his cousin Jon Bernthal to remember him across social media. Bernthal is best known to our community for his roles as Shane Walsh on The Walking Dead and Frank Castle in The Punisher. He shared a heartfelt video after learning the news of his older cousin's passing. "Today we lost my big cousin Adam Schlesinger," he said. "He was such a beautiful talent, has been since he was a kid...Adam was brilliant. I can speak on behalf of the family and tell you that all of the outpouring love and condolences for him is staggering but, man, he was brilliant. He was beautiful. We can listen to some of his music and stay at home..."

Bernthal also expressed his and his family's concerns for others, encouraging them to stay safely at home to prevent the spread of this virus. "My little brother is a surgeon. His wife is a doctor. They have two little kids at home," Bernthal explained. "They had to call my aunt and uncle and let them know that Adam wasn't gonna make it through this coronavirus. They didn't get to see their son. They didn't get to say goodbye and neither did his two little girls. Look, y'all, this thing is really ugly and the one thing my Aunt Bobby said to me when I got off the phone with her today, she just begged me to do what they're asking us to do: stay safe and stay at home. I just hope we can all really do that."

He concluded his video with a blessing for the doctors and nurses who are on the frontlines making every effort to combat the virus. You can see his video in the tweet embedded below

Rest cuz. We love you. Stay home, We’re in this together. Our power is immense when connected, it is vital now. Necessary. Anyone in office, anybody with a family anybody with a voice, if your not telling people to stay put, blood is on your hands. Bless those on the front line. pic.twitter.com/AU8QWp2ZN7

— Jon Bernthal (@jonnybernthal) April 3, 2020

Schlesinger, 52-year-old musician, boasted a career which has expanded beyond being in various bands though as he's previously contributed music to feature films like Shallow Hal (which he also scored), plus There's Something About Mary, Josie and the Pussycats, and the titular song from That Thing You Do! which earned him an Oscar nomination.

His television work is extensive as well including Sesame Street, Saturday Night Live, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend which earned him a Primetime Emmy last year for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the song "Anti-Depressants Are So Not a Big Deal."

For those who are worried about the spread of the coronavirus, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention offers a litany of tips, including covering coughs and sneezes, avoiding large gatherings or close contact with people who are sick, and washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

The prolific musician has also worked on the stage, previously adapting the John Waters movie Cry-Baby into a musical and nabbing two Tony nominations for his work including Best Musical and Best Original Score.