Steve Harwell Explained

Steve Harwell
Birth Name:Steven Scott Harwell
Birth Date:9 January 1967
Birth Place:Santa Clara, California, U.S.
Death Place:Boise, Idaho, U.S.
Resting Place:Los Gatos Memorial Park
Years Active:1987–2021
Children:1
Module:
Embed:yes
Origin:San Jose, California, U.S.
Past Member Of:Smash Mouth

Steven Scott Harwell (January 9, 1967 September 4, 2023) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist and frontman for the rock band Smash Mouth from its formation in 1994 until his retirement in 2021.[1] [2] [3] Their songs include "Walkin' on the Sun" and "All Star".

Career

Harwell was initially a rapper in the group F.O.S.[4] (Freedom of Speech).[5] He abandoned the Public Enemy–influenced project upon hearing Dr. Dre's 1992 album The Chronic and realizing that the genre was changing.

Greg Camp formed Smash Mouth in 1994 with Harwell, Kevin Coleman, and Paul De Lisle. They first achieved success with their 1997 song "Walkin' on the Sun".[6] The band's 1999 song "All Star" reached the top 10 in the United States, and it regained popularity after being featured in the 2001 film Shrek.[7]

Harwell was a featured cast member in the sixth season of the VH1 reality show The Surreal Life in 2006.[8] He appeared on other television and radio shows[9] as well as making a cameo in the 2001 film Rat Race.[10] He performed two songs, "Beside Myself" and "Everything Just Crazy", for the 2013 South Korean–Chinese animated film Pororo, The Racing Adventure.[11]

During a Smash Mouth concert in Urbana, Illinois, on August 27, 2016, Harwell collapsed on stage and was taken by ambulance to a hospital. The band completed the show without him, De Lisle singing in his place.[12] [13] In August 2020, the band headlined at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, with Harwell declaring "Now we're all here together tonight. And we're being human once again. Fuck that COVID shit"; the event was later classed as a superspreading event by the National Institutes of Health.[14]

In October 2021, the band performed at a beer and wine festival at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, New York, where he appeared to be intoxicated, threatening audience members and performing what looked like a Nazi salute.[15] [16] He then announced his retirement due to ongoing health issues,[17] and was replaced by Zach Goode.[18]

Personal life

Harwell was married to Michelle Laroque, but they divorced.[19] Together, they had a son named Presley, who died aged six months in July 2001 from acute lymphocytic leukemia and inspired the name of his father's disease prevention fund, the Presley Scott Research Foundation for Leukemia.[20] [21]

Illness and death

Throughout most of his life, Harwell struggled with alcoholism; this was exacerbated by the death of his son, as evidenced by several shows over the years where he performed heavily intoxicated or with other health difficulties.[22] [23] In 2013, he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and Wernicke encephalopathy, which can affect functions such as speech and memory. He was hospitalized in 2017 for his cardiomyopathy, leading to the cancellation of a show.[24] He retired in 2021 due to health issues hindering his ability to perform.[25]

Harwell died from acute liver failure at his home in Boise, Idaho, on September 4, 2023,[26] [27] one day after his manager, Robert Hayes, announced Harwell was in hospice for final-stage liver failure.[28] [29] [30]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Steve Harwell. AllMusic. September 4, 2023.
  2. Web site: Steve Harwell. BBC. September 4, 2023.
  3. Web site: November 1997. Interview with Steve Harwell. Nyrock.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141227071112/http://www.nyrock.com/features/smash_m_int.htm. December 27, 2014. mdy-all.
  4. News: Q&A: Steve Harwell On 20 Years Of Smash Mouth And Coming To Terms With All Those "All Star" Memes. July 7, 2017. Stereogum. July 22, 2018.
  5. Legaspi . Althea . Steve Harwell, Smash Mouth Founding Singer, Dead at 56. September 5, 2023 . Rolling Stone . September 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230904151222/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/steve-harwell-smash-mouth-singer-dead-obituary-1234817636/ . September 4, 2023.
  6. News: Moses . Claire . Sisario . Ben . September 4, 2023 . Steve Harwell, Former Smash Mouth Lead Singer, Dies at 56 . The New York Times.
  7. News: Steve Harwell, founding member of Smash Mouth, dies aged 56 . The Independent . September 4, 2023 . September 4, 2023.
  8. News: Neil. Wilkes. New 'Surreal Life' cast named . . September 21, 2005 . July 9, 2013.
  9. Web site: Steve Harwell - Rotten Tomatoes . 2023-09-27 . www.rottentomatoes.com . en.
  10. News: Steve Harwell, former Smash Mouth lead singer, dead at 56 . 6 September 2023 . CBC News . 4 September 2023.
  11. News: Steve Harwell: The Smash Mouth frontman known for 'All Star' and 'Walkin' on the Sun' . 6 September 2023 . The Independent . 4 September 2023.
  12. Web site: Smash Mouth Singer Leaves Stage In An Ambulance, Band Plays "All Star" Without Him. August 28, 2016. Peter. Helman. September 3, 2023. Stereogum.
  13. Web site: Verhoeven . Beatrice . 2016-08-29 . Smash Mouth Frontman Steve Harwell Collapses During Concert . 2023-09-27 . TheWrap . en-US.
  14. Dave . Dhaval . McNichols . Drew . Sabia . Joseph J. . The contagion externality of a superspreading event: The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and COVID-19 . Southern Economic Journal . 2021 . 87 . 3 . 769–807 . 10.1002/soej.12475 . 33362303 . 7753804 . 0038-4038.
  15. News: Smash Mouth singer accused of doing Nazi salute in shocking footage from 'chaotic' gig . October 12, 2021 . Newshub . Monika . Barton.
  16. Web site: Smash Mouth singer slurs words, curses fans at 'chaotic' live show . October 11, 2021 . Los Angeles Times . August . Brown.
  17. Web site: October 12, 2021 . Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell retires after disoriented New York concert. October 12, 2021 . NBC News.
  18. Web site: Smash Mouth introduces new singer, Zach Goode; releases "Never Gonna Give You Up" cover. ABC Audio. Johnson. Josh. March 2, 2022.
  19. Web site: Yasmine Leung l . September 4, 2023 . Smash Mouth fights childhood leukemia. HITC . November 15, 2023.
  20. Web site: Slaughter. Adele . July 22, 2002 . Smash Mouth fights childhood leukemia. USA Today. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20050912143038/https://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2002-07-22-smash-mouth.htm . September 12, 2005 . September 4, 2023.
  21. Web site: THE PRESLEY SCOTT RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR LEUKEMIA . 2024-04-21 . OpenCorporates.
  22. News: 2023-09-04 . Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell dies at 56 . 2024-04-21 . en-GB.
  23. News: September 4, 2023 . Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell dies at 56 . en-GB . BBC News. September 4, 2023.
  24. https://www.ktvb.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/smash-mouths-steve-harwell-rushed-to-hospital-band-cancels-concert/277-470067622 Smash Mouth's Steve Harwell Rushed to Hospital, Band Cancels Concert
  25. Kaufman . Gil . October 12, 2021. Smash Mouth Singer Steve Harwell Retires, Citing Ongoing Health Issues. September 4, 2023. Billboard.
  26. Web site: Moniuszko . Sara . What to know about acute liver failure, Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth's cause of death . CBS News . September 5, 2023 . April 27, 2024.
  27. News: Steve Harwell, Smash Mouth Founding Singer, Dead at 56. September 4, 2023 . Rolling Stone . September 4, 2023.
  28. Web site: Chasan. Aliza. September 3, 2023 . Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell in hospice care, representative says. September 4, 2023. CBS News . en-US.
  29. Web site: Zhan . Jennifer . September 3, 2023 . Steve Harwell Is Reportedly in Hospice Care for Liver Failure. September 3, 2023 . New York Magazine .
  30. News: Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell dies at 56. September 4, 2023. BBC News . September 4, 2023.

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