SNL two-time Emmy winner Katreese Barnes dies: She was honored for helping write "D*ck in the Box"

The New York Times

Barnes, 56, was a "musical force behind the scenes," according to The New York Times. She recorded and toured with Roberta Flack, Sting and Chaka Khan. But she'll perhaps best be known for helping The Lonely Island write the music for their SNL viral video "D*ck in the Box," for which she won an Emmy for outstanding original music and lyrics. She also won another Emmy for writing the music for a Justin Timberlake SNL monologue. “She was the light in the room, just had one of those smiles that warmed everybody,” Andy Samberg told The Times. “She wrote songs for every live sketch as well, constantly, over and over. That job is so demanding, I was always blown away.” Seth Meyers added, via Twitter: "Katreese was great. Sketch writers, many with no rhythm and terrible voices, would come to her with song ideas and she would turn them into gold."