Former Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell is in the final days of his life as he is currently in hospice following severe liver failure.
Steve Harwell, the former singer for pop/rock band Smash Mouth, is currently in hospice following liver failure. According to sources, he is evidently in the final days of his life. The news comes the year after Harwell announced his retirement so he could focus on his ongoing health issues.
As per a representative for Steve Harwell (via People), “Although Steve is here with us still, sadly it will only be for a short time. My only additional comment is that we would hope that people would respect Steve and his family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
Steve Harwell announced his retirement in 2022 following a series of bizarre situations at a 2021 performance in which the singer was seen slurring his words and berating audience members. He was replaced by Zach Goode.
When announcing his retirement, Steve Harwell issued the following statement: “Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a Rockstar performing in front of sold-out arenas and have been so fortunate to live out that dream..To my bandmates, it’s been an honor performing with you all these years and I can’t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with…To our loyal and amazing fans, thank you, all of this was possible because of you. I’ve tried so hard to power through my physical and mental health issues, and to play in front of you one last time, but I just wasn’t able to.”
A decade ago, Steve Harwell, who is now 56, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and Wernicke encephalopathy, a neurological disorder with ties to delirium, lack of coordination and heart issues.
Smash Mouth found massive success in 1997 with their album Fush Yu Mang, led by the single “Walkin’ on the Sun.” They followed that up with 1999’s Astro Lounge, which went triple platinum with songs like “Then the Morning Comes”, “Can’t Get Enough of You Baby” and “All Star”, which went through the roof once more after being featured in Shrek. While the usage became a meme, the band took it in stride, recognizing that people still enjoyed the song and gave them a new audience.
This is, of course, disheartening news for fans of Smash Mouth and Steve Harwell and we here at JoBlo send our thoughts and condolences to the singer’s family. You can leave your own remembrances of jamming to Smash Mouth in the comments section.
