Steve Harwell, ‘All Star’ singer for Smash Mouth, dies at 56

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Steve Harwell 2nd Annual Grand Slam Charity Jam - Inside
Smash Mouth attends the 2nd annual Grand Slam Charity Jam at the Potawatomi Bingo Casino on March 10, 2012 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)*** Local Caption *** Smash Mouth

Steve Harwell, the former lead vocalist of rock band Smash Mouth, died Monday at 56.

Robert Hayes, a longtime manager of Harwell and the band, confirmed the singerโ€™s death in a statement.

โ€œSteve Harwell passed away this morning Sept. 4, 2023 at his home in Boise, Idaho. He was surrounded by family and friends and passed peacefully and comfortably,โ€ Hayes said in a statement.

Steve Harwell Smash Mouth Performs Live At Toys R Us Times Square
Steve Harwell of the group Smash Mouth performs songs from their new CD at Toys R Us Times Square August 5, 2003 in New York City. Smash Mouths new CD is called โ€œGet The Picture.โ€ (Photo by Matthew Peyton/Getty Images)

โ€œSteve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle. Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom,โ€ the statement continued. โ€œAnd the fact that he achieved this near-impossible goal with very limited musical experience makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable.โ€

Hayes added: โ€œHis only tools were his irrepressible charm and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition. Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out.

โ€œRest in peace knowing you aimed for the stars, and magically hit your target. He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him,โ€ the statement concluded.

Hayes revealed on Sept. 3, 2023, the singer was โ€œresting at homeโ€ and โ€œbeing cared for by his fiancรฉe and hospice care.โ€ The rep adds that the family asks for โ€œprivacy during this difficult time.โ€

TMZ, the first outlet to report the news, reported Harwell has โ€œreached the final stage of liver failureโ€ due to alcohol.

Steve Harwell First Annual "Sing For The Children" Benefit Concert
Singer Steve Harwell of โ€œSmash Mouthโ€ performs at the first annual โ€ Sing For The Childrenโ€ benefit concert May 23, 2004 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Steve Harwell

With hits โ€œWalkinโ€™ on the Sun,โ€ โ€œAll Starโ€ and a cover of โ€œCanโ€™t Get Enough of You Baby,โ€ Smash Mouth commandeered pop radio in the late โ€˜90s. Their quirky pop approach and Harwellโ€™s distinctive rumble of a voice distinguished the band from peers, including Sugar Ray and Third Eye Blind, and helped push their major-label debut, Fush Yu Mang, to sell more than two million copies.

Success would escalate for Smash Mouth with their second album, 1999โ€™s Astro Lounge, which unveiled โ€œAll Star,โ€ a three-million-selling hit that reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains a pop culture touchstone.

In October 2021, Harwell announced his retirement from the band following a fumbled performance at a beer and wine festival. During an appearance with the band at The Big Sip in New York, a video of Harwell slurring his speech, cursing at the audience, and making a gesture that resembled a Nazi salute, became viral.

Following the performance, his reps said in a news release that the video had โ€œbeen taken out of contextโ€ to misrepresent the singer. In a statement, Harwellโ€™s reps then revealed that the frontman had been battling health issues for the past eight years from his cardiomyopathy diagnosis.

Steve Harwell Carfax 250
Steve Harwell (L), lead vocalist of Smash Mouth, gives the command โ€˜Gentlemen, Start Your Enginesโ€™, prior to the start of the NASCAR Busch Series Carfax 250 at the Michigan International Speedway on August 18, 2007 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

The heart disease led to โ€œserious medical setbacksโ€ for Harwell, including heart failure and acute Wernicke encephalopathy, which affected his speech and memory. According to his rep, Harwell โ€œsuffered numerous symptomsโ€ from his medical condition during his performance in 2021.

โ€œIโ€™ve tried so hard to power through my physical and mental health issues and to play in front of you one last time, but I just wasnโ€™t able to,โ€ Harwell said in the news release.

โ€œEver since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a rock star, performing in front of sold-out arenas, and have been so fortunate to live out that dream,โ€ Harwell continued. โ€œTo my bandmates, itโ€™s been an honor performing with you all these years, and I canโ€™t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with. I cannot wait to see what Smash Mouth accomplishes next and am looking forward to counting myself as one of the bandโ€™s newest fans.โ€


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