\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \tRelated story \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tKim Kardashian Reveals Esophagitis Diagnosis Years After Father’s Death From Esophageal Cancer\t\t<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n \t \n\tSheik first broke into the mainstream in 1996 with his self-titled debut album and its smash hit, Barely Breathing<\/em>. The track peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 55 weeks on the chart.<\/p>\n \n\tHe later transitioned to musical theater, co-creating the rock score for Spring Awakening<\/em>, which won eight Tony Awards<\/a> in 2007, including Best Original Score. He went on to compose American Psycho<\/em> and was preparing for a new Off-Broadway production at the time of his passing.<\/p>\n \n\tOffstage, Sheik was a devoted family man and is survived by his wife, Nora Ariffin, and their 7-year-old daughter, Ines.<\/p>\n \n\tSheik developed his love for music as a young child in South Carolina, spending hours \u201cimprovising\u201d at the piano alongside his grandmother.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhen I was 4, I would sit down at the piano and improvise musical nonsense, and she\u2019d say, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s amazing,\u2019\u201d he told Entertainment Weekly<\/em> in 1997, per People<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tBy the late \u201990s, as mainstream radio shifted toward boy bands and bubblegum pop, he realized his sound was heading in a different direction.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSo the music that I was doing really didn\u2019t have a lot of kinship with that other kind of pop music,\u201d Sheik told NPR<\/em><\/a> <\/em>in 2009. \u201cSo while on the one hand, I was like, musical theater wasn\u2019t my wheelhouse either, at all \u2014 I was definitely ready to try something new, and different, and perhaps work in a different medium.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tTaking that leap reshaped the rest of his life.<\/p>\n \n\tSheik\u2019s death highlights a growing risk in men\u2019s health. Research shows men face a significantly higher risk of sudden cardiac arrest than women, with nearly one in nine men<\/a> suffering an event before age 70.<\/p>\n \n\tUnlike a heart attack<\/a>, which is caused by a blocked artery, cardiac arrest occurs when<\/a> the heart\u2019s electrical system suddenly malfunctions and stops beating. Risk rises after 50<\/a> due to arterial stiffening, hormonal changes, and conditions like high blood pressure or coronary artery disease.<\/p>\n \n\tStaying on top of routine blood pressure and cholesterol check-ups offers the best way to catch hidden cardiac issues early.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Kim](\"https:\/\/www.sheknows.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-sheknows-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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\n<\/section>\n<\/p>\n\n\t\tA Legacy in Pop and Theater\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tRemembering His Life and Art\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tThe Growing Risk of Cardiac Arrest in Men Over 50\t<\/h2>\n