Tragic news: Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell passes away at the age of 56
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The tragic news of the death of Smash Mouth's frontman, Steve Harwell, has been confirmed by the band's manager in a statement released early Monday morning.
Harwell was the voice behind some of the biggest hits of the early 2000s, such as ‘Can't Get Enough of You Baby’, ‘Walkin' on the Sun’, and ‘I'm a Believer’.
According to the band’s manager, Robert Hayes, the singer passed away 'peacefully and comfortably' at home in Boise, Idaho, 'surrounded by friends and family'.
'Steve Harwell was a true American Original,' said the band’s manager.
'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. 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 kingsize cajones,’ the statement read.
‘Steve lived a 100 per cent full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out.'
Though the cause of death was not revealed, the news comes days after his manager announced Harwell had entered hospice care at his home due to liver failure.
Not much is known about Harwell’s personal life, though his fiancee Esther Campbell, with whom he broke up with in 2019, was reportedly by his side during his final days.
The US rocker had suffered medical problems since at least 2013, the year he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy–a disease of the heart muscle that may lead to heart failure.
Harwell announced his retirement in October 2021 following reports of his 'disoriented' performance at The Big Sip beer and wine festival in New York, where he was reportedly slurring his words, cursing at the audience, and at one stage, gesturing a Nazi salute.
Harwell then issued a statement to fans regarding the news of his retirement and said he was ‘fortunate’ to have lived his dream.
‘Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed [sic] of being a rock star performing in front of sold-out arenas and have been so fortunate to live out that dream,’ Harwell said.
‘To my bandmates, it’s been an honour performing with you all these years, and I can’t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with.’
The rocker was born in Santa Clara, California, in 1967 and co-founded Smash Mouth in 1994, along with Greg Camp on the guitar, Paul De Lisle on bass, and Kevin Colemen on drums.
The band went on to release seven studio albums, with the most recent being 2012’s Magic.
They were at the peak of their career in the early 2000s, producing hits such as ‘All Star’ and ‘Then The Morning Comes’.
‘All Star’ and ‘I’m A Believer’ were included on the soundtrack of the 2001 DreamWorks film Shrek, which further popularised the songs.
After Harwell stepped down, former Ghoulspoon vocalist Zach Goode took over.
Harwell experienced a great loss in 2001 when his newborn son Presley, with then-partner Michelle Laroque, died due to complications from acute lymphocytic leukaemia.
He then made headlines in late 2019 when a restraining order was filed against him by his fiancee Esther Campbell for what she described as ‘threatening behaviour’. They were known to have been engaged in early September of the same year following 12 months of dating.
A few weeks after their engagement news, Campbell called it quits due to Harwell’s alleged excessive drinking behaviour and was then granted a temporary restraining order.
Steve Harwell lived a big life. He may be gone, but his memory will live on with those touched by his music.
Here's a link to some songs to remember him by.
Rest in peace, Steve. You'll be remembered.
Members, do you know any Smash Mouth songs? Let us know if you have a favourite in the comments below.
The tragic news of the death of Smash Mouth's frontman, Steve Harwell, has been confirmed by the band's manager in a statement released early Monday morning.
Harwell was the voice behind some of the biggest hits of the early 2000s, such as ‘Can't Get Enough of You Baby’, ‘Walkin' on the Sun’, and ‘I'm a Believer’.
According to the band’s manager, Robert Hayes, the singer passed away 'peacefully and comfortably' at home in Boise, Idaho, 'surrounded by friends and family'.
'Steve Harwell was a true American Original,' said the band’s manager.
Steve Harwell, former frontman of Smash Mouth, dies at 56. Image source: X/@steveharwell.
'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. 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 kingsize cajones,’ the statement read.
‘Steve lived a 100 per cent full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out.'
Though the cause of death was not revealed, the news comes days after his manager announced Harwell had entered hospice care at his home due to liver failure.
Not much is known about Harwell’s personal life, though his fiancee Esther Campbell, with whom he broke up with in 2019, was reportedly by his side during his final days.
The US rocker had suffered medical problems since at least 2013, the year he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy–a disease of the heart muscle that may lead to heart failure.
Harwell announced his retirement in October 2021 following reports of his 'disoriented' performance at The Big Sip beer and wine festival in New York, where he was reportedly slurring his words, cursing at the audience, and at one stage, gesturing a Nazi salute.
Harwell then issued a statement to fans regarding the news of his retirement and said he was ‘fortunate’ to have lived his dream.
‘Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed [sic] of being a rock star performing in front of sold-out arenas and have been so fortunate to live out that dream,’ Harwell said.
‘To my bandmates, it’s been an honour performing with you all these years, and I can’t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with.’
The rocker was born in Santa Clara, California, in 1967 and co-founded Smash Mouth in 1994, along with Greg Camp on the guitar, Paul De Lisle on bass, and Kevin Colemen on drums.
The band went on to release seven studio albums, with the most recent being 2012’s Magic.
They were at the peak of their career in the early 2000s, producing hits such as ‘All Star’ and ‘Then The Morning Comes’.
‘All Star’ and ‘I’m A Believer’ were included on the soundtrack of the 2001 DreamWorks film Shrek, which further popularised the songs.
After Harwell stepped down, former Ghoulspoon vocalist Zach Goode took over.
Harwell experienced a great loss in 2001 when his newborn son Presley, with then-partner Michelle Laroque, died due to complications from acute lymphocytic leukaemia.
He then made headlines in late 2019 when a restraining order was filed against him by his fiancee Esther Campbell for what she described as ‘threatening behaviour’. They were known to have been engaged in early September of the same year following 12 months of dating.
A few weeks after their engagement news, Campbell called it quits due to Harwell’s alleged excessive drinking behaviour and was then granted a temporary restraining order.
Steve Harwell lived a big life. He may be gone, but his memory will live on with those touched by his music.
Here's a link to some songs to remember him by.
Rest in peace, Steve. You'll be remembered.
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