Steve Harwell, former frontman of Smash Mouth, dies aged 56

Steve Harwell, the founding singer of US group Smash Mouth, has died aged 56.

His death, at his home in Boise, Idaho, was confirmed by the band’s manager, Robert Hayes, who said the cause was liver failure.

“Steve Harwell was a true American Original,” Smash Mouth wrote on instagram as the news broke. “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.”

For the last decade, Mr. Harwell’s career had been marked by alcoholism, health problems and erratic behaviour. In 2013, he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a heart condition, and Wernicke’s encephalopathy, a neurological condition that can affect speech and memory. Harwell left Smash Mouth in 2021 and retired from performing.

Steve Harwell formed Smash Mouth in 1994 in San Jose, California, with guitarist Greg Camp, drummer Kevin Coleman and bassist Paul De Lisle. The group’s first success came with the song Walkin’ on the Sun from their debut album Fush Yu Mang in 1997.

After Fush Yu Mang came Smash Mouth’s most popular album, 1999’s Astro Lounge, featuring the massive hit All Star, which spent 30 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 4.

Smash Mouth grew more popular when All Star and their cover of the Monkees’ I’m a Believer were featured in the 2001 film Shrek. The band went on to release four more studio albums with Harwell: 2003’s Get the Picture?; 2005’s The Gift of Rock; 2006’s Summer Girl; and 2012’s Magic.

RIP Steve Harwell (1967-2023)