Photo: Matthew Peyton/Getty Images
Singer Steve Harwell, famous for his hits with the rock group Smash Mouth, passed away this morning at the age of 56 at his home in Boise, Idaho. The news comes less than a day after his representative reported that he had a few days to live, due to various health problems.
Born in Santa Clara, California in 1967, Harwell formed Smash Mouth in 1994. Originally the band combined rock with ska -a fashionable musical trend at the time-, but later they turned towards pop. your album fush yumang was one of the best sellers in the United States in 1997, spawning the single “Walkin’ on the sun”which is considered a classic of the alternative genre. In 2001, the singer suffered the loss of his son Presley due to leukemia.but continued to record and tour.
Smash Mouth had other hit songs, such as “I’m a believer” (which was the theme song for the animated movie “Shrek”), “All star” and “Pacific coast party”. Steve also struggled with alcoholism for years, and in 2013 he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and hepatic encephalopathy. His health problems caused him to resign from the group in October 2021, although he remained on good terms with his former teammates. Then, the first few seconds of “All star” began to be used in millions of TikTok videos and memes around the worldand the singer gave his opinion about it: “I am very grateful to each and every one of you who have helped Smash Mouth to sell more than 10 million albums worldwide, to get to the top of the radio charts and to those who have kept the relevance of all star as one of the most important memes on the Internet.”
In recent months Steve Harwell suffered from severe liver failure, as well as problems with speech, memory and motor functions. In a statement his manager robert hayes recalled the enthusiasm that the singer always displayed throughout his career: “Steve’s iconic voice is one of the most recognizable of his generation. He loved the fans and he loved performing. He must be remembered for his unwavering focus and passionate determination to reach the heights of pop stardom. And the fact that he achieved this almost impossible goal with very limited musical experience makes his achievement all the more remarkable. He lived a 100 percent life, burning brightly before going out.” Rest in peace.
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