Smash Mouth’s Steve Harwell Dead of Liver Failure at 56

It went triple platinum and included the hits Can’t Get Enough of You Baby and the incredibly catchy All Star – a song which Rolling Stone magazine said “inexplicably mesmerized the world for 20 years”. Their fusion of pop, ska, surf and punk, along with retro vibes from the 60s, generated an early hit in the shape of Walkin’ On The Sun, which topped Billboard’s modern rock charts, and helped their debut album Fush Yu Mang enter the Top 40. Born in California in 1967, Harwell started his musical career in the rap group, F.O.S. (Freedom of Speech), who based their sound on the sample-heavy beats of Chuck D and Public Enemy. Hayes added that “Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out”. In October 2021, Harwell announced his retirement from the band after a fumbled performance at a beer and wine festival. During an appearance with the band at The Big Sip in New York, a video of Harwell slurring his speech, cursing at the audience, and making a gesture that resembled a Nazi salute became viral.

What is acute liver failure?

The musician reportedly helped to set up a medical research fund in his son’s name. Steve Harwell, the lead singer of US band Smash Mouth, has died at the age of 56. Steve Harwell, the former lead vocalist of rock band Smash Mouth, died Monday at 56. During the later years of his career, Harwell suffered from several health complications with 2013 diagnoses for cardiomyopathy and Wernicke encephalopathy. Harwell left Smash Mouth in October 2021 to “focus on his physical and mental health,” his representative told People at the time.

Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell, known for the ubiquitous pop-rock hit ‘All Star,’ dies at 56

  • “Acute liver failure is probably one of the scariest things in my field,” Dr. Catherine Lucero, assistant professor of clinical medicine and transplant hepatologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, tells TODAY.com.
  • TMZ was first to report that the singer was in the final stage of liver failure after previously undergoing treatment for alcohol abuse at a hospital.
  • He was also father to son Presley Scott, who died of complications from acute lymphocytic leukemia as an infant in 2001.
  • He’d been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy several years ago, according to previous interviews with People.
  • Harwell issued a statement saying he needed to work on longstanding physical and mental health issues.

Chronic liver failure, also called decompensated liver disease, can cause symptoms like nausea, vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea steve harwell smash mouth death and loss of appetite, the Cleveland Clinic says. Steve Harwell died from acute liver failure, his band’s manager told NBC News. Steve Harwell, former lead singer for rock band Smash Mouth, died at age 56 on Sept. 4, 2023, due to acute liver failure.

The challenge with acute liver failure patients, though, is that they “have to be able to agree to take lifelong immune suppression to prevent rejection of the organ,” Lucero explains. For instance, although chronic alcohol consumption doesn’t directly cause acute liver failure, it “decreases the threshold to develop drug-induced liver injury,” Lucero says. However, by definition, acute liver failure only occurs in “someone who has no underlying liver disease and has never had any liver problem,” Kushner says. Instead, it arises most commonly due to an overdose of acetaminophen, Lucero explains.

Steve Harwell’s Legacy Included Memorable Shrek Placement

“He was surrounded by family and friends and passed peacefully and comfortably,” the band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said in a statement to NBC News. “Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle,” the statement continues. Harwell issued a statement saying he needed to work on longstanding physical and mental health issues. Greg Camp formed Smash Mouth in 1994 with Harwell, Kevin Coleman, and Paul De Lisle.

  • In some cases, treatments can prevent further complications or help reverse acute liver failure by giving the liver time to heal, the Mayo Clinic says.
  • Although the condition is “extremely rare,” Lucero says, it’s also always an emergency.
  • The fact that Harwell did that with limited musical experience, he said, makes his achievements all the more remarkable.
  • During the later years of his career, Harwell suffered from several health complications with 2013 diagnoses for cardiomyopathy and Wernicke encephalopathy.

“And if it’s given early enough, it can help avoid the need for a liver transplant.” Patients may also receive a special form of continual dialysis, which can help decrease the amount of ammonia in their body, she adds. Harwell retired from the band in 2021 over physical and mental health issues. “His only tools were his irrepressible charm and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition. Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out. A source close to Harwell explained to PEOPLE in 2021 that the musician had “suffered profusely” with addiction over the years, which have led to some of his medical and mental health issues. In some cases, treatments can prevent further complications or help reverse acute liver failure by giving the liver time to heal, the Mayo Clinic says. The “All Star” singer, who retired from the band two years ago, died peacefully, surrounded by family and friends, Hayes said.

Steve Harwell, Former Lead Singer of Smash Mouth, Dead of Liver Failure at 56

Hayes told USA TODAY on Sunday that the singer was “resting at home” and “being cared for by his fiancee and hospice care.” The rep said the family was asking for “privacy during this difficult time.” Robert Hayes, a longtime manager of Harwell and the band, confirmed the singer’s death in a statement to USA TODAY. Hayes had released a statement on Sunday saying Harwell was in hospice care. If they do receive a transplant and continue to drink, “then their new liver will also fail eventually.”

Once the liver fails, kidney failure and neurologic dysfunction might follow. “All the organs in the body work together, so if one fails, then you start seeing other organs fail, as well,” Kushner explains. “It’s a cascade of events that pretty rapidly can lead to multi-organ dysfunction, and ultimately, that’s what people pass away from.” During Harwell’s tenure with Smash Mouth, the band sold over ten million albums worldwide, had two #1 hit singles and a Grammy nomination. He and the band, including Greg Camp on guitar, Paul De Lisle on bass and Kevin Coleman on drums, shot to fame with hits such the 1997’s “Walking on the Sun” and “All Star” from the 1999 album Astro Lounge. “All Star” appeared in the 2001 animated movie Shrek, as did the band’s cover version of the Monkees’ classic “I’m a Believer.”

Steve Harwell’s past health issues

“And the fact that he achieved this near-impossible goal with very limited musical experience makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable. The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably” Monday morning surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho. The singer died of acute liver failure on Monday, Sept. 4 at his home in Boise, Idaho, the band’s manager Robert Hayes confirms to PEOPLE. “He was surrounded by family and friends and passed peacefully and comfortably,” Hayes said in a statement. His death was confirmed by the band’s manager, Robert Hayes, who said the cause was acute liver failure.

TMZ, which was the first outlet to report the news, reported Harwell has “reached the final stage of liver failure” because of alcohol abuse. “To our loyal and amazing fans, thank you, all of this was possible because of you,” he continued. “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.” TMZ was first to report that the singer was in the final stage of liver failure after previously undergoing treatment for alcohol abuse at a hospital. If someone gets diagnosed with acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure, “there is an antidote to give,” Lucero says.

“Even though Steve has not been with Smash Mouth for two years now, and the band continues to tour with new vocalist Zach Goode his legacy will live on through the music,” Hayes told PEOPLE on Sunday. Harwell later developed Wernicke’s encephalopathy, a sudden brain and memory disorder that’s caused by a lack of vitamin B1, which causes brain damage, the Cleveland Clinic explains. People with a history of alcohol use disorder are more likely to develop the condition. Liver failure is a condition in which the liver can no longer keep functioning at normal levels. The band is most known for hits like “All Star” and their cover of The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer,” which can be heard in the “Shrek!” soundtrack. “Good night Heevo Veev. Rest in peace knowing you aimed for the stars, and magically hit your target. He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him.”

Success would escalate for Smash Mouth with their second album, 1999’s “Astro Lounge,” which unveiled “All Star,” a 3-million-selling hit that reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains a pop culture touchstone. “Today” host Carson Daly published a two-part statement on Instagram, detailing the first time he met Harwell in 1995, when he was a DJ on JOME in San Jose and Smash Mouth was a new band. Humor was a driving force behind Smash Mouth’s success, and at the forefront was Harwell’s playful alt-rock voice and persona. He made a cameo in 2001 comedy film “Rat Race,” and had a well-documented friendship with the Food Network chef and host Guy Fieri.

Steve Harwell, former Smash Mouth singer, dies at 56: ‘A 100% full-throttle life’

Smash Mouth paid tribute to their former bandmate via an Instagram post shortly after his death. Harwell retired from the band after a concert in upstate New York about two years ago, where he was heard slurring his words and making vaguely threatening comments toward the audience, according to Variety. In this Sept. 29, 2008, file photo, singer Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth performs with the band during a rally celebrating the Los Angeles Angels’ American League West Division Championship baseball title in Anaheim, Calif.

He said Harwell was “surrounded by family and friends and passed peacefully and comfortably.” Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom. “Steve Harwell was a true American Original. 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,” they wrote. Harwell had “many health issues,” and died from acute liver failure, the band’s manager Robert Hayes confirmed.

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