Steve Harwell, lead singer of American rock band Smash Mouth, has died at the age of 56.
Band manager Robert Hayes confirmed the news earlier today, saying that Harwell died from acute liver failure. According to an article from Billboard, Harwell retired from Smash Mouth after a New York show in October 2021 due to “ongoing health issues.”
Harwell had previously been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy — a heart disease — and Wernicke Encephalopathy, which causes severe issues with movement, speech and memory. The singer was placed in hospice care yesterday.
Serving as the band’s lead vocalist, Harwell founded Smash Mouth in 1994 with drummer Kevin Coleman, guitarist Greg Camp and bassist Paul De Lisle, who is currently the only remaining original member of the group.
Smash Mouth is known for several hits in the late ʼ90s and early 2000s, such as their most popular song “All Star,” which was written by Camp and sung by Harwell. The rock hit has just under one billion streams on Spotify and was used in the 2001 animated film “Shrek.”
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The band additionally has a number of extremely popular covers of songs, such as The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” and War’s “Why Can’t We Be Friends.”
The group continues to produce music to this day, with their latest single “Underground Sun” featuring new lead vocalist Zach Goode being released this past July.
