# Smash Mouth lead singer Steve Harwell has died **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death, music\ **Created:** [September 4, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581 "2023-09-04T15:32:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/1 "2023-09-04T15:32:49Z")
> **[Steve Harwell, Smash Mouth Founding Singer, Dead at 56](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/steve-harwell-smash-mouth-singer-dead-obituary-1234817636/)** > > “Walkin’ on the Sun” and “All Star” vocalist announced his retirement in 2021 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/2 "2023-09-04T15:39:08Z")
I had just seen he was in hospice, that was fast. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LQj--Kjn0z8/maxresdefault.jpg "Smash Mouth - Walkin' On The Sun (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQj--Kjn0z8) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/3 "2023-09-04T15:55:56Z")
People often don’t enter hospice until the very, very end. My sister is a director at a hospice, she has told me quite a few people only spend a couple days in hospice even if they could have entered one sooner. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/4 "2023-09-04T16:09:21Z")
Just last night I saw a story that he had “less than a week” to live. They weren’t kidding. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/5 "2023-09-04T16:17:55Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > People often don’t enter hospice until the very, very end. Yeah my wife’s cousin went in last Fall. Didn’t even make it a full day. It was about 23 hours. Wasn’t a fan of Smash Mouth. “Walkin’ on the Sun” was an interesting bit of retro rock, if massively overplayed, but the rest of their output was not for me. But I respect anyone who has a dream and goes all-in after it, and I applaud that he made it. Rest in peace, buddy. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/6 "2023-09-04T18:43:08Z")
I met Steve briefly may years ago when my wife worked for his business manager. He was a big guy, full of energy, always with a beer in his hand. I enjoyed watching him perform, even for a small crowd when the band was between hit records. He spent money wildly at that time and never saved up for his old age. I’m sorry to hear he died. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/7 "2023-09-04T18:51:51Z")
[Smash Mouth is nothing to be afraid of…](https://www.reddit.com/r/calireggae/comments/11npu1t/smash_mouth_snl/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/8 "2023-09-04T21:58:15Z")
Well. I guess the years do stop coming. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/9 "2023-09-04T22:06:23Z")
A story I read was that he lost a child to cancer when the baby was 6 months old, and that led to decades of hard drinking, until _this_. > **[Smash Mouth Singer’s Son Dies](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/smash-mouth-singers-son-dies-78950/amp/)** > > Presley Scott Harwell, the infant son of Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell and Michelle Laroque, died Saturday of complications from acute lymphocytic leukemia, according to the band’s tour ma… > **[Smash Mouth's Steve Harwell Was Never The Same After The Tragic Loss Of His...](https://www.nickiswift.com/1384848/smash-mouth-steve-harwell-never-same-after-loss-infant-son/)** > > In addition to his own many health struggles, Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell also knew the difficulties of losing a loved one to an illness. Other than that, the only thing I got was that, at a college party in the late 90s, some guy we didn’t know partied with us. The next day, a guy who lived downstairs told me that the stranger was actually the “dude from Smash Mouth.” And it _did_ kinda look like him. But the guy who told me that was always full of shit. So, nahhh…. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/10 "2023-09-04T22:13:01Z")
It appears that his death was due to the aftereffects of alcoholism. Losing a child at 6 months of age, especially from a disease that is usually curable, could do that to anybody. (I wondered if Presley had Down syndrome; children with that are more prone to leukemia that can be very challenging to treat, but he didn’t.) > **[Presley Scott Harwell (2001-2001) - Find a Grave...](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8087599/presley-scott-harwell)** > > Son of Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell. He died from acute lymphatic leukemia, and was an only child (possibly until now). ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/11 "2023-09-05T02:07:02Z")
It ain’t no joke. So don’t delay. Act now. Supplies are running out. Some great songs and good memories. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/12 "2023-09-05T23:22:30Z")
All Star even makes a pretty good noir film. RIP. I can’t post it but it’s on Youtube under All Star Noir. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-mouth-lead-singer-steve-harwell-has-died/989581/13 "2023-09-05T23:59:03Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > It appears that his death was due to the aftereffects of alcoholism. Losing a child at 6 months of age, especially from a disease that is usually curable, could do that to anybody. (I wondered if Presley had Down syndrome; children with that are more prone to leukemia that can be very challenging to treat, but he didn’t.) He was a big drinker before the death of his son, but I am hearing he spiraled into daily heavy drinking for 20+ years, gradually killing himself.