Harwell has faced many health problems in recent years, after being diagnosed in 2013 with cardiomyopathy and a neurological disorder, and then with acute Wernicke’s encephalopathy
Died at the age of 56 the former singer of Smash Mouth, Steve Harwell. The hit singer “All Star” and “Walkin on the Sun” died of liver failure.
His death was announced by his manager Robert Hayes, who told Rolling Stone in a statement that Harwell died peacefully surrounded by family and friends. “Steve’s iconic voice is one of the most recognizable voices of his generation,” added Hayes.
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Harwell has dealt with several other health problems in recent years, after being diagnosed in 2013 with cardiomyopathy and a neurological disorder, and then with acute Wernicke’s encephalopathy, which affected his speech and memory. He also struggled with alcoholism.
Born in California in 1967, Harwell formed Smash Mouth in 1994 when his manager and longtime friend Kevin Coleman introduced him to two other musicians in San Jose, Paul de Lille and Greg Camp. In 1996 the four men had a big hit when their song ‘Nervous in the Alley’ was played on a local radio station while the band still had no name.
Record labels soon became interested and the band signed to Interscope and released their first album Fush Yu Mang in 1997. With a distinctive sound that combined ska, lounge music, psych-pop and many other genres and Harwell’s vocals influenced by hip-hop, the single “Walkin’ on the Sun” became their first major hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard modern rock charts and the UK Top 20.
Their second album, 1999’s Astro Lounge, featured the single ‘All Star’, which became a huge hit internationally and is the group’s only Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2001 the song ‘All Star’ was chosen for the opening of the animated film Shrek and the band became well known on the internet due to parodies. The song now has nearly a billion streams on Spotify.
Harwell suffered tragedy at the height of the band’s fame in 2001 when his son Presley died of leukemia at the age of six months, delaying the release of their third album. The band released four more albums, most recently Magic in 2012.
In 2021, Harwell announced his retirement after a concert in upstate New York during which he appeared to threaten audience members and perform a Nazi salute.
At the time, a source close to the band, according to a report in The Guardian newspaper, revealed that Harwell was dealing with a number of health issues. “I’ve tried so hard to get through my physical and mental health issues and stand before you one last time,” Harwell wrote in a statement in 2021. “But I couldn’t,” he added.
Source :Skai
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