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Former Smash Mouth lead singer Steve Harwell has died at age 56, according to reports by TMZ and Rolling Stone.
On Sunday, the outlet reported he was gravely ill, and on Monday, TMZ reported Harwell’s death due to liver failure at his Boise, Idaho, home.
Smash Mouth, a California-based band popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, boasted smash hits like “All Star” and “Walkin’ on the Sun,” as well as a cover of the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.”
The band’s popularity was further augmented by the inclusion of their music on the “Shrek” soundtrack, including the use of “All Star” in the title sequence and credits of the film.
Harwell left the band in 2021, reportedly due to health issues, though the group released a new music video on Wednesday that was generated by artificial intelligence.
The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, released a statement to Rolling Stone praising Harwell’s influence and legacy.
“With Steve, Smash Mouth has sold over 10 Million albums worldwide-wide and topped the charts with two #1 hit singles, five Top 40 singles, three Hot 100 singles, four Billboard 200 albums and a Grammy nomination not to mention the hundreds of film and television placements and of course those musical features in ‘Shrek,’” he said.
Hayes also memorialized Harwell’s rock-star lifestyle, dubbing him “a true American original” and “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,” Hayes said. “And the fact that he achieved this near-impossible goal with very limited musical experience makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable. His only tools were his irrepressible charm and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition, and his king-size cajones. Steve lived a 100 percent full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out.”
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