Smash Mouth Singer Steve Harwell’s Cause of Death Revealed

Steve Harwell passed away Monday morning in his home in Boise, Idaho, surrounded by family and friends. The Smash Mouth singer’s cause of death was liver failure, the band’s manager Robert Hayes told The New York Times. He was 56 years old.

Harwell had been in hospice care and was given only days to live this past weekend, TMZ reported. He was reportedly receiving end-of-life care at home with his family and friends by his side. TMZ reports that he succumbed to his health battles with alcohol abuse, among other ailments.

Harwell formed Smash Mouth, best known for its hits like “All Star” and “Walkin’ on the Sun,” in 1994 in San Jose, California. The band also featured drummer Kevin Coleman, guitarist Greg Camp and bassist Paul De Lisle. Harwell told Rolling Stone in 2019 how proud he was of “Walkin’ on the Sun,” which turned out to be their breakout hit off their debut album Fush Yu Mang, saying the song changed music. “It changed the way people listen to music,” Harwell said, calling the track “so different,” “so unusual” and “so special.”

The band’s next album, Astro Lounge, had the chart-topping hit “All-Star,” which was nominated for a Grammy Award and was featured in several films. Two years after its release, it was featured in the opening credits of Shrek, leading to Smash Mouth becoming synonymous with the famous movie. “We had no clue how big Shrek was going to be,” Harwell told Rolling Stone in 2019.

With close to a billion streams on Spotify, “All Star” is by far the band’s most successful song, but they also found success with a cover of the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer,” which was also featured on the Shrek soundtrack.

Harwell left Smash Mouth in 2021 and retired from performing altogether after an erratic show in New York where he was seen slurring his words and using profanity. He had already taken a break from performing earlier that year, citing heart problems. After Harwell stepped away from the band, Smash Mouth released new singles this year with a different lead singer.

Harwell dealt with hardships through much of life, TMZ reports. His infant son Presley died in July 2001 at only 6 months old due to leukemia. He created a medical research fund in Presley’s name. Harwell himself dealt with health issues over the years, having been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and Wernicke encephalopathy, which can affect motor functions like speech and memory and can cause heart failure, in 2013.