Smash Mouth vocalist Steve Harwell has died at the age of 56.
The singer was admitted to a hospice earlier this week as he received care in the final stages of liver failure.
Band manager Robert Hayes confirmed the news of Harwell’s death in a statement to Rolling Stone, saying that the singer died at his home in Boise, Idaho, “surrounded by family and friends.”
Hayes added that the musician “passed peacefully and comfortably”. He did not clarify the cause of death to Rolling Stone, however, Harwell had been in hospice care following medical complications.
As reported by TMZ yesterday (September 3), Hayes said that Harwell was expected to live for only “a week or so”.
Per that report, the musician struggled with alcohol abuse throughout his life. His family and friends had gathered to say their goodbyes to Harwell in recent days.
Harwell was a founding member of the US rock band. Although he hadn’t been an official member of the 1994-formed band since 2021, he and bassist Paul Delisle were the only two original band members who’d remained consistent through the majority of the group’s run over the last three decades.
News of the former Smash Mouth singer’s declining health was revealed back in 2021 when it was announced that the frontman would be retiring due to health issues that he’d been battling for several years.
The news came after footage from a gig showed him slurring his words and making threatening comments toward the crowd.
Steve Harwell performing with Smash Mouth in 2018. (CREDIT: Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
Announcing his retirement in 2021, a representative for Smash Mouth told Los Angeles Times that Harwell had left the band to focus on what they described as “longstanding medical issues”.
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