Smash Mouth, Health Issues and More

Steve Harwell left his mark on the music trade because the lead singer of Smash Mouth, the rock band finest identified for hits together with “All Star” and “Walkin’ on the Solar.”

Regardless of coping with well being points and private tragedy, Harwell by no means misplaced his ardour for the band, telling Vice in 2014 that he’d by no means tire of enjoying the hits for reside audiences.

“There’s all the time anyone within the crowd who hasn’t heard it. Or hasn’t seen it reside. After I exit on stage, I take a look at it that manner,” he advised the outlet. “Has ‘Free Hen’ ever bought previous?”

Harwell died at age 56 in September 2023, at some point after Us Weekly realized that he was receiving end-of-life hospice care amid liver failure.

Preserve scrolling for a glance again at Harwell’s life by way of the years:

1994

Harwell based Smash Mouth together with drummer Kevin Coleman, whom he met in 1990, guitarist Greg Camp and bass participant Paul De Lisle.

Throughout a 2014 interview with Vice, Harwell talked concerning the band’s early success, together with the second their 1997 music “Walkin’ on the Solar” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Scorching 100.

“That was f—king massive,” he advised the outlet. “I used to be 27 years previous. I’d f—king by no means owned a brand new automobile, [and] I went and purchased a BMW f—king two days after signing a report deal. And paid money for it. I used to be residing in an house with my drummer, consuming Taco Bell, and working extension cords over the roof to steal energy off my neighbor’s home as a result of we couldn’t pay our f—king payments.”

1999

Smash Mouth’s star continued to rise with the discharge of the group’s best-known music, “All Star.” The music charted world wide and earned the band a Grammy nomination for Greatest Pop Efficiency By a Duo or Group With Vocals.

“It feels prefer it got here out yesterday,” Harwell advised Vice of the tune in 2014, including that it “sort of pisses me off” when individuals requested whether or not he bought bored of enjoying the hits at reside exhibits.

“Why would I become bored with singing these songs? These are most likely a number of the best-written songs ever,” he stated.

2001

The identical 12 months that Smash Mouth contributed a canopy of The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” to the Shrek soundtrack, Harwell’s son, Presley, whom he shared with ex Michelle Laroque, died at 6 months previous from acute lymphocytic leukemia. Harwell later created a medical analysis fund in his son’s identify.

2011

In June 2011, a author for the web site One thing Terrible provided Harwell $20 to eat 24 eggs. Extra gives had been subsequently made through social media, ultimately focused to varied charities.

One month later, Harwell stated that he would settle for the problem if followers may collect pledges of $10,000 for St. Jude Kids’s Hospital. When the fundraising objective was reached in lower than one week, Harwell enlisted his buddy Man Fieri to arrange the eggs.

The problem happened in Dublin, California, in October 2011, with about 150 individuals in attendance. Though Harwell required help from the viewers to complete the eggs, the cash raised nonetheless went to charity.

2013

Harwell was recognized with cardiomyopathy and Wernicke encephalopathy. Cardiomyopathy is a illness of the center muscle that may result in coronary heart failure whereas Wernicke encephalopathy is a neurological situation that may impair motor features together with speech and reminiscence and trigger weak point or paralysis of the muscle tissues liable for eye actions.

2021

A TikTok video of Harwell performing with Smash Mouth on the Bethel Woods Middle for the Arts in Bethel, New York, confirmed him slurring his phrases, threatening the viewers and swaying forwards and backwards.

“I’ll f—king kill your entire household, I swear to God,” he stated to 1 fan in the course of the October present.

A rep for the musician subsequently addressed the erratic habits and introduced Harwell’s retirement from Smash Mouth.

“Steve has been coping with long-term medical points over the past eight years and through his final efficiency on the Huge Sip stage, he suffered quite a few signs immediately linked along with his present medical scenario,” the rep stated in a press release. “As of in the present day, Steve shall be retiring from Smash Mouth to concentrate on his bodily and psychological well being.”

Harwell thanked his followers and bandmates in a press release of his personal after the retirement announcement.

“I’ve tried so exhausting to energy by way of my bodily and psychological well being points and to play in entrance of you one final time, however I simply wasn’t capable of,” he wrote. “I’m so grateful to every certainly one of you who has helped Smash Mouth promote over 10 million albums worldwide, put us on high of radio charts and those that have saved ‘All Star’ related as one of many high memes on the web in the present day.”

2023

In September, a rep for Harwell advised Us that the singer was receiving end-of-life hospice care amid liver failure. At some point later, Harwell died at age 56.

Smash Mouth supervisor Robert Hayes confirmed the information in a press release to Rolling Stone, noting that Harwell had “handed peacefully and comfortably” at his residence in Idaho.

Hayes added that “Steve’s legacy will reside on by way of [Smash Mouth’s] music,” calling Harwell a “bigger than life character” with “one of the crucial recognizable voices from his era.”

The band supervisor wrapped up the tribute by writing: “His solely instruments had been his irrepressible allure and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition, and his king-size cajones. Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly throughout the universe earlier than burning out.”

An extra assertion shared through the official Smash Mouth social media account learn: “Relaxation in peace realizing you aimed for the celebs, and magically hit your goal. Relaxation straightforward.”