Steve Harwell, the former lead singer of the rock group Smash Mouth, died Monday, his manager tells CNN.
He was 56.
No cause of death was shared, but Harwell had been receiving hospice care over the weekend. He died at his home in Boise, Idaho, with family and friends by his side, according Robert Hayes, the manager of Smash Mouth.
鈥淪teve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle,鈥 Hayes said in a statement to CNN. 鈥淪teve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom. 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.鈥
Harwell was a founding member and longtime lead singer of Smash Mouth, best known for its chart-topping singles 鈥淎ll Star鈥 and 鈥淚鈥檓 a Believer.鈥
During Harwell鈥檚 career, the band was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group for 鈥淎ll Star,鈥 a song which later achieved cult status after its appearance on the sound track of the 2001 animated film 鈥淪hrek.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 weird, people ask me, 鈥楧o you get bored of playing these songs?鈥 I鈥檓 like, 鈥榃hy would I get bored of playing them? This is what puts bread and butter on my table,鈥欌 Harwell told Vice of the group鈥檚 best known hits in a 2014 interview. 鈥淵ou know, there鈥檚 always somebody in the crowd who hasn鈥檛 heard it. Or hasn鈥檛 seen it live. When I go out onstage, I look at it that way. Once that classic song starts, people just go bananas. Has 鈥楩ree Bird鈥 ever got old?鈥
Harwell himself went to great lengths to boost the band鈥檚 early fame 鈥 personally taking their 鈥淎stro Lounge鈥 to radio stations across the country to get it played across the airwaves.
鈥淲e never do anything traditional,鈥 Harwell said in 1999. 鈥淲e never go through the front door. It鈥檚 always the back door, or an open window or something, to get our stuff played.鈥
Since Harwell left the band in 2021 over health issues, the group has continued to perform with new lead vocalist Zach Goode.
鈥淪teve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out,鈥 Hayes concluded his statement. 鈥淕ood night Heevo Veev. Rest in peace knowing you aimed for the stars, and magically hit your target.鈥