Singer Steve Harwell, best known as a co-founder and original singer for the band Smash Mouth, one day after it was revealed that Steve Harwell was in hospice care, it was announced that the former Smash Mouth singer passed away.
On Sunday, it was publicly announced that Harwell had entered hospice care. His manager confirmed that the singer was in the final stages of liver failure and had been given roughly a week to live. A day later, it was reported that Harwell died on Monday morning at his Boise, Idaho home, and it's noted that he died "peacefully and comfortably" while surrounded by family and friends. He was 56 years old.
Harwell is very well known for serving as the lead singer for Smash Mouth from its inception in 1994 until his retirement two years ago. The group's most popular song is likely "All Star," made even more famous with its inclusion in the movie Shrek along with Mystery Men. The group's cover of The Monkees' "I'm a Believer" is another one of their most celebrated hits, and it was also featured on the Shrek soundtrack. Some of their other most beloved songs include "Walkin' on the Sun" and "Then the Morning Comes," along with covers of other songs like "Why Can't We Be Friends?", "Never Gonna Give You Up," and "Don't You (Forget About Me)."
In 2021, Harwell announced his retirement after he'd been visibly struggling with his live performances. The singer's struggles had been well documented, and it was known that he'd struggled greatly with alcohol abuse throughout his life, worsening his health issues. He'd been previously diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and Wernicke encephalopathy.
Harwell had also ventured outside of music into other forms of entertainment with appearances in film and television. He had a cameo as himself alongside the other members of Smash Mouth in the 2001 comedy Rat Race, which ended with the characters dancing to the song "All Star." In 2006, Harwell appeared as one of the celebrities featured in the sixth season of The Surreal Life. He'd also done voiceover work, voicing himself for an animated cameo in Kim Possible in 2003. More recently, he did voiceovers for an episode of the animated series We Bare Bears in 2018.
Harwell was previously married to French actress Michelle Laroque, though they were later divorced. The couple had a son, Presley, who tragically passed away as an infant in 2001 due to leukemia. Harwell subsequently launched a medical research fund in his son's name.
Rest in peace, Steve Harwell.
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