Steven Scott Harwell (January 9, 1967 – September 4, 2023) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist and frontman for the rock band
Smash Mouth from its formation in 1994 until his retirement in 2021.[1][2][3] Their songs include "
Walkin' on the Sun" and "
All Star".
Career
Harwell was initially a rapper in the group F.O.S.[4] (Freedom of Speech).[5] He abandoned the
Public Enemy–influenced project upon hearing
Dr. Dre's 1992 album The Chronic and realizing that the genre was changing.[6]
Greg Camp formed Smash Mouth in 1994 with Harwell,
Kevin Coleman, and
Paul De Lisle. They first achieved success with their 1997 song "
Walkin' on the Sun".[7] The band's 1999 song "
All Star" reached the top 10 in the United States, and it regained popularity after being featured in the 2001 film Shrek.[8]
During a Smash Mouth concert in
Urbana, Illinois, on August 27, 2016, Harwell collapsed on stage and was taken by ambulance to a hospital. The band completed the show without him, De Lisle singing in his place.[13][14] In August 2020, the band headlined at the
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in
South Dakota, with Harwell declaring "Now we're all here together tonight. And we're being human once again. Fuck that COVID shit"; the event was later classed as a
superspreading event by the
National Institutes of Health.[15]
In October 2021, the band performed at a beer and wine festival at
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in
Bethel, New York, where he appeared to be intoxicated, threatening audience members and performing what looked like a
Nazi salute.[16][17] He then announced his retirement due to ongoing health issues,[18] and was replaced by Zach Goode.[19]
Personal life
Harwell was previously married to Michelle Laroque, but they later divorced.[20] Together, they had a son named Presley, who died aged six months in July 2001 from
acute lymphocytic leukemia and inspired the name of his father's disease prevention fund, the Presley Scott Research Foundation for Leukemia.[21][22]
Illness and death
Throughout most of his life, Harwell struggled with
alcoholism; this was exacerbated by the death of his son, as evidenced by several shows over the years where he performed heavily intoxicated or with other health difficulties.[23][6] In 2013, he was diagnosed with
cardiomyopathy and
Wernicke encephalopathy, which can affect functions such as speech and memory. He was hospitalized in 2017 for his cardiomyopathy, leading to the cancellation of a show.[24] He retired in 2021 due to health issues hindering his ability to perform.[25]