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Steve Harwell, who was best known as the lead singer for American rock band Smash Mouth, has died aged 56. <\/p>\n
The news was confirmed by his manager, Robert Hayes, who said the singer \u2018passed peacefully and comfortably\u2019 at home.<\/p>\n
The American singer had recently been battling end-stage liver failure and had been receiving care in a hospice, with his family staying by his side.<\/p>\n
Shortly before his death, Harwell\u2019s representatives told Metro.co.uk<\/strong> that he had just \u2018days to live\u2019 and asked for his family\u2019s privacy to be respected. <\/p>\n \u2018We hope that people respect Steve and his family\u2019s privacy during this difficult time. Steve is resting at home and being cared for by his fianc\u00e9e and hospice care.\u2019<\/p>\n He is survived by his fianc\u00e9e Traci Lynn Lindsay, who became Harwell\u2019s carer during the final months of his life. <\/p>\n Harwell formed Smash Mouth in 1994 at the age of 27 with friends Greg Camp, Kevin Coleman, and Paul De Lisle, releasing their first album in 1997.<\/p>\n After moderate success in the mid-to-late 1990s, Smash Mouth hit the big time when All Star, the lead single from their second album, went triple Platinum.<\/p>\n The song was later chosen to appear on the soundtrack for the 2001 classic animated movie Shrek, starring Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy.<\/p>\n All Star became synonymous with the Dreamworks film, which grossed almost $500m at the box office ($850m in 2023, adjusted for inflation) and became a beloved family film in the 2000s.<\/p>\n The song later became famous on the internet for numerous remixes and parodies, contributing to Smash Mouth\u2019s continued success in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n Harwell and the band also covered The Monkees 1966 hit I\u2019m A Believer for the popular film, which also went Platinum after charting high in the United States.<\/p>\n According to his reps, Harwell began to \u2018struggle with alcohol abuse\u2019 more and more as time went on, receiving treatment for his condition in hospital.<\/p>\n In October 2021, video footage emerged of Harwell insulting audience members during a live performance, stepping down from Smash Mouth shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n It was explained that Harwell would be leaving the band to pursue treatment for his health issues, which were also exacerbated by a heart condition.<\/p>\n He issued a statement, saying: \u2018Ever 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.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018To my bandmates, it\u2019s been an honour performing with you all these years and I can\u2019t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with.\u2019<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/metro-parent\/img\/fallback.png\")
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