“Walkin’ on the Sun” and “All Star” vocalist announced his retirement in 2021
STEVE HARWELL, WHO cofounded the band Smash Mouth in 1994, has died at the age of 56, band manager Robert Hayes confirmed. The musician, best known for hits like “All Star” and “I’m a Believer,” died at his home in Boise, ID “surrounded by family and friends.”
Harwell had been in hospice care following medical complications. The cause of death was liver failure, Hayes told Rolling Stone.
Hayes said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably.” In a statement to Rolling Stone, he offered a lengthy tribute to the artist, who was a staple of ’90s rock music and saw success with multiple albums and singles.
RIP. He wasn’t all there towards the end, what with the drinking and the Nazi stuff and the COVID denial/antivax stuff, but Smash Mouth had such a big impact on the world.
Did they? They were one hit wonders who - except for some covid controversy - are now more known in tandem with Shrek rather than independently.
Depends on location and generation, perhaps. They were the soundtrack to my summers in the late 90s/early 00s in Southern California, always on the radio. I didn’t know he’d gone off the deep end - sad.
Smash mouth were not one-hit wonders. “Walking’ on the sun”, “Then the morning comes”, “I’m a believer” (ok that’s technically also a Shrek song), and “Can’t get enough of you baby” were also Top 40 hits.