The smash single “All Star” that Smash Mouth released in 1999 will forever be associated with Harwell in the minds of fans.
The band Smash Mouth has reported that Steve Harwell, the band’s original lead vocalist, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 56.
On Monday, the official Smash Mouth X account uploaded a picture of Steve Harwell and captioned it with the following: “Steve Harwell was a real American Original. A larger-than-life figure who sprang into the air as quickly as a Roman candle. The unyielding commitment and dogged persistence with which Steve pursued his dream of becoming a famous pop artist are qualities that will live on in infamy. You may now rest easy knowing that you set your sights on the heavens and somehow managed to reach there. “Take it easy,”
His lawyer, Robert Hayes, revealed in a statement to CBS News that Harwell passed away early on Monday morning at his home in Boise, Idaho. He had been receiving at-home hospice care at the time of his loss.
There is currently no information available on the cause of passing.
“He was surrounded by family and friends and passed away peacefully and comfortably,” Hayes added. “Steve’s voice is one of the most known voices from his age because of its iconic quality. He was passionate about both the audience and the stage.
Fans may remember Harwell from Smash Mouth’s “All Star,” which was a mega-hit in 1999 and was included on the soundtrack for the first Shrek movie.
There is no denying the significance that Smash Mouth had on the music world in the early 2000s. The band has received a Grammy nomination in addition to having over 10 million albums sold all over the globe, as well as having two songs that peaked at No. 1 and five that landed in the Top 40.
In an interview that took place in 2019, with Rolling Stone, Harwell discussed the reasoning behind why “All Star” was intended to be Smash Mouth’s breakthrough single. He said that the song could not have been performed by anybody else. If it hadn’t happened, it never would have become what it is now. I could have presented that song to a million other bands, and although some of them could have given it a go, it still wouldn’t have become what it is today.
Smash Mouth is most known for their song “All Star,” but they have also had success with songs like “Walkin’ on the Sun” from their album “Fush Yu Mang” in 1997, as well as “I’m a Believer” and “Then The Morning Comes” from their album “Astro Lounge” in 1999.
Harwell, Kevin Coleman, Greg Camp, and Paul De Lisle were the band’s founding members when it was established in 1994 in the city of San Jose, located in the state of California.
In 2021, Harwell stepped down as the leader of the band, and Zach Goode, the singer, took over in that role.