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Mike Schank, Musician and American Movie Screamer, Dead at 56
American Movie star Mike Schank has reportedly died at age 56. The musician was close friends with filmmaker Mark Borchardt, who he worked with on the short film Coven. Schank was also known for his efforts to help people recover from addiction.

Mike Schank, Musician and American Movie Screamer, Dead at 56

Guitarist Mike Schank, whose friendly personality and screaming skills charmed audiences of the 1999 documentary American Movie, has died. A friend confirmed to the Milwaukee Record that Schank “passed away early this morning in his mother’s arms.” He was 56.

Schank appeared in the 1997 short horror film Coven, which was directed by filmmaker Mark Borchardt, his childhood friend. The process of creating Coven was documented in American Movie, which won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Schank provided the music for the documentary. He went on to star in Todd Solondz’s 2001 film Storytelling, and later made a cameo with Borchardt in an episode of Family Guy. Over the course of his career, the Wisconsin musician also released three homemade CDs, including Dreams I Know, which featured acoustic guitar under spoken recollections of his dreams.

In his personal life, Schank was a respected member of a local sobriety club, with an unnamed source telling the Milwaukee Record that he was “a staple in so many’s recovery.” A former alcoholic and drug addict himself, Schank shared his sobriety milestones on social media; he celebrated his “27 years clean and sober birthday” this year. In response to the news of Schank’s death, Borchardt tweeted, “Stay strong forever, Mike…”

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Sources

Milwaukee Record

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