Steve Harwell was an American musician, best known as the lead singer of the rock group Smash Mouth. He was born on January 9, 1967, and died on September 4, 2023, at the age of 56. Harwell was a founding member of Smash Mouth, which was formed in 1994 with Kevin Coleman, Greg Camp, and Paul De Lisle. The band’s first hit, “Walkin’ on the Sun,” debuted in 1997. That same year, Smash Mouth released their first album, “Fush Yu Mang,” with their second album “Astro Lounge” coming in hot in 1999. The latter album included “All Star,” one of their most popular songs to date.

Smash Mouth’s success grew over time, with their songs becoming major pop-culture phenomena. This came in part due to their unique sound, which Harwell told Rolling Stone in 2019 could not be recreated by other artists. The other side of their success came from the band’s immortalization in the films “Shrek” (2001) and “Mystery Men” (1999), the former seeing more intense popularity then Harwell could have predicted.

Smash Mouth released four more albums from 2001 to 2012 and toured as the band lost and added members. Harwell and De Lisle were the only founding members that remained until 2021 when Harwell retired from the band due to health issues. Vocalist Zach Goode now performs in Harwell’s stead.

He had been battling ongoing health issues, including cardiomyopathy and liver failure. He was receiving end-of-life hospice care at home and being cared for by his fiancé, Esther Finklestein.

He struggled with alcohol abuse throughout his life. He was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in 2013 and had to leave Smash Mouth in October 2021 after attending a performance in upstate New York drunk and yelling at the audience. According to his manager, Robert Hayes, Steve Harwell had reached the final stage of liver failure due to alcohol abuse.

He had one son with Michelle Laroque his ex-wife, Presley Scott Harwell, who was born on January 7, 2001.