Steve Harwell, the lead singer for the rock band Smash Mouth, has died today from complications due to liver failure, he was 56. Harwell's death comes shortly after news broke that he was experiencing the last chapter of his life while in hospice. Harwell has been struggling with substance and alcohol abuse for several years and has, up until recently, received treatment for liver failure.
This news comes almost 2 years after a troubling incident involving Steve ... where he appeared incredibly disoriented during a live performance, slurring his words and yelling at the audience. It was concerning at the time, and shortly thereafter ... he said he was retiring.
In 1994, Harwell was a founding member of Smash Mouth, an American rock/pop band that rose to fame in the mid-1990s and early 2000s with songs like "Walking on the Sun" and "All Star."
More, via Rolling Stone:
In a statement to Rolling Stone, [Smash Mouth manager Robert] Hayes said Harwell died at his home in Boise, ID “surrounded by family and friends.” He added that the musician “passed peacefully and comfortably.”
“Steve has been retired from Smash Mouth for two years now, and the band continues to tour with new vocalist Zach Goode,” Hayes said. “That said, Steve’s legacy will live on through the music. 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.”
In 2013, Harwell was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and Wernicke encephalopathy, which can affect speech and motor functions and induce heart failure. Harwell cited these recent diagnoses for his retirement shortly thereafter.
Harwell leaves behind his extended family, as his son Presley died in 2001 when he was six months old from acute lymphocytic leukemia.