Singer Steve Harwell 'on deathbed' following liver failure—his career, discography
In a tragic piece of news, retired American singer Steve Harwell, the former lead vocalist and founding member of the band Smash Mouth is nearing death. TMZ reported that the 56-year-old is battling last-stage liver failure and "has a week or so to live." Harwell also reportedly dealt with alcohol abuse for most of his life. Here's more about his career and life.
Origins of Smash Mouth and biggest hits
Smash Mouth was formed in 1994 and apart from Harwell, included Kevin Coleman, Greg Camp, and Paul De Lisle (the only original member associated with it now). Some of their most famous songs are Walkin' on the Sun, I'm a Believer, Then the Morning Comes, and Story of My Life. It released seven studio albums, 13 music videos, 19 singles, and four compilation albums.
Contribution to Hollywood films
Apart from his contribution to Smash Mouth, Harwell has also been attached to a couple of Hollywood films over the years. The oldest of these are Dear God (1996), An American Werewolf in Paris (1997), and Can't Hardly Wait (1998). More recently, he worked on the animated movies The Little Penguin Pororo's Racing Adventure (2013) and My Little Pony: Pony Life (2020).
He developed grave health issues in 2013
Harwell has been reeling under the impact of adverse health complications for a long time now. In 2013, he was diagnosed with Wernicke encephalopathy and Cardiomyopathy. Per WebMD, symptoms of the former include "confusion, loss of muscle coordination, and trouble with your vision," while the latter leads to tiredness, and shortness of breath, and signals the onset of one's heart failure.
Harwell retired in 2021, released a statement
In 2021, Harwell announced his retirement and released a statement, "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 that dream. I've tried so hard to power through my physical and mental health issues and play in front of you one last time, but I just wasn't able to."
