Credit: Far Out / Porkrind

Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell deemed terminally ill

Mon 4 September 2023 10:35, UK

Steve Harwell, the vocalist for the American rock band Smash Mouth, has entered hospice care after doctors determined that he was terminally ill.

According to the 56-year-old singer’s management, he has reached the final stages of liver failure and only has “a week or so” to live. The statement acknowledges that the musician has struggled with alcohol addiction throughout his life.

It was previously reported that Harwell was in ill health in 2021, when he reportedly performed while drunk, slurring his words and shouting threatening comments towards the audience. He subsequently retired from the band to work on his health.

Following the retirement announcement, the band issued a statement to the Los Angeles Times. They said Harwell had left the band to address “longstanding medical issues”.

“Despite Steve’s best efforts to work through these ailments, he is heartbroken to share that it has become impossible for him to continue doing what he loves most, performing in front of the band’s millions of fans around the world,” they added.

In 2015, Harwell was also diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, which led to other medical issues like heart failure and Wernicke’s encephalopathy. The disease was noted to have “greatly impacted his motor functions, including speech and impaired memory,” according to a spokesperson via TMZ.

“Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a Rockstar performing in front of sold-out arenas and have been so fortunate to live out that dream,” Harwell said in a public statement at the time. “To my bandmates, it’s been an honour performing with you all these years, and I can’t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with.”

Listen to Smash Mouth’s 1999 hit ‘All Star’ below.