Steve Harwell, Co-Founder Of Smash Mouth, Dies At 56

BOISE, IDAHO — Steve Harwell, who was one of the co-founders of the band Smash Mouth, has died, the band confirmed. He was 56.

Harwell, best known for the band's 1999 hit "All Star," died a day after it was announced he was receiving hospice care and suffering from liver failure, Fox News reported. He was surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho, Rolling Stone reported.

The band posted a tribute to Harwell on its Instagram and Facebook accounts, calling Harwell "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," the post said. "And the fact that he achieved this near-impossible goal with very limited musical experience makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable. His only tools were his irrepressible charm and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition, and his king-size cajones."

"Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out. Good night Heevo Veev. Rest in peace knowing you aimed for the stars, and magically hit your target," the tribute said.

Smash Mouth was founded in 1994 in San Jose, Calif.. In addition to Harwell, the band was comprised of drummer Kevin Coleman, guitarist Greg Camp on the guitar, and bass player Paul De Lisle. Their debut album Fush Yu Mang included their first hit, “Walkin’ on the Sun,” the New York Times reported.

Smash Mouth was nominated for a Grammy for "All Star," which was featured on the soundtrack of the movie "Shrek."

“It’s weird, people ask me, ‘Do you get bored of playing these songs?’ I’m like, ‘Why would I get bored of playing them?" he told Vice in 2014. "This is what puts bread and butter on my table. You know, there’s always somebody in the crowd who hasn’t heard it. Or hasn’t seen it live. When I go out onstage, I look at it that way. Once that classic song starts, people just go bananas. Has ‘Free Bird’ ever got old?"

Harwell retired from performing and left the band in 2021, the New York Times report said, after a live show in upstate New York where he was seen slurring his words and cursing. The band continues to perform and recently released a new single, "Underground Sun," which is the title of its current tour. The group is scheduled to perform in Madera, California, on Thursday, according to its Instagram account.

The success of Smash Mouth was because their sound was "so different and it was so unusual, and it was so special," Harwell told Rolling Stone in 2019. "Ask anybody that’s tried to copy us, you can’t. You just can’t."