- Harwell’s death was announced Monday, a day after news of his health emerged
- He reportedly died of liver failure following years of alcohol abuse
- Friends rushed to pay tribute both after and before his death
Guy Fieri and members of the boy band NSYNC were among those paying tribute to the late Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell on Monday.
The rocker’s death was revealed just hours earlier in a statement by his manager Robert Hayes, who shared just a day earlier that he had entered hospice care in his final days.
Although his official cause of death has not been confirmed, Hayes noted that the Smash Mouth frontman had been in the final stages of liver failure following years of alcohol abuse, culminating in a slurred performance from 2021 in which he shouted obscenities and made death threats on stage with his band while seemingly intoxicated.
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In addition to Fieri’s tribute, several musicians remembered the singer, including Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick of contemporaries NSYNC, as well as Eve 6 singer Max Collins.
The tributes follow a round of praise for Harwell that popped up once his celebrity friends and admirers learned of his impending death.
TV host Guy Fieri showed off his standard bleached blond hair and goatee while posing with a beaming Harwell in a selfie he posted to Twitter on Sunday.
Fieri covered up with a baseball cap and sunglasses while wearing a long chain, and the Smash Mouth singer wore sunglasses with hexagonal lenses while showing off a shock of short white hair.
‘To my brutha Steve,’ Fieri began, while wishing that Harwell would rest in peace. ‘Today is a sad day, I will miss my friend.’
NSYNC’s Joey Fatone shared a vintage photo of himself and Harwell beaming for the camera, and Harwell could be seen clutching a plastic drinking cup.
Fatone wrote that he had ‘known this dude for a very long time,’ adding that Smash Mouth ‘opened for NSync’ before Harwell served as his ‘wedding singer.’
‘We had some good times! Sad all things must come to an end and some times too soon due to things that are past fixing because too much damage has been done .. but let’s be real it’s never too late!’ he said on a hopeful note.
‘Hopefully people out there that are dealing with addiction get the right help that they need. It’s a crazy world we live in now ..thinking /praying for all… RIP Steve!’ he concluded, alluding to Harwell’s struggles with alcohol abuse over the years.
NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick also had fond feelings for the Walkin’ On The Sun singer.
‘Rest easy my friend. I’m truly sorry for the difficult battle you had to fight. You were an amazing soul and will be deeply missed.’
Max Collins, the singer and bassist for the band Eve 6, shared a tribute to Harwell from his Twitter account, which uses the band’s name.
‘RIP Steve Harwell. You brought a lotta joy to a lotta people. You were much more than a meme,’ he wrote, referencing Harwell’s fame from Smash Mouth.
Earlier on Sunday, tributes poured in before Harwell’s death after it was announced that he had entered hospice care.
The Smash Mouth frontman was said to be surrounded by his family members as he enters his final days, his manager told TMZ on Sunday.
Fellow singer Bret Michaels posted a touching tribute to the musician on social media. He said: ‘All my thoughts, prayers and well wishes are with my friend Steve Harwell. I knew you’re a fighter, keep fighting my brother.’
Harwell had reportedly dealt with alcohol abuse and its physical affects for years. In October of 2021, Smash Mouth fans became concerned for Harwell’s wellbeing after he was seen slurring his speech, cursing and making threats at a concert.
A representative for Smash Mouth told DailyMail.com that, ‘Steve is resting at home and being cared for by his fiancé and hospice care.’
He added: ‘My only additional comment is that we would hope that people would respect Steve and his family’s privacy during this difficult time.’
Further tributes have poured in on social media, with many fans saying they are heartbroken to hear of Harwell’s illness.
One adoring fan wrote on X: ‘I’m legitimately heartbroken by the news regarding Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth.
‘I knew his health wasn’t doing well for a while, but NOT like this. And while I do know S.M. for All Star & I’m A Believer, I’ve listened to quite a lot of their tracks afterwards. Thank you, Steve.’
Another said: ‘I feel so sorry for Steve Harwell. His music made our lives better when we was part of Smash Mouth. His singing was the best, even in the songs that he did for Shrek. Another piece of my childhood is dying.’
Others touchingly wrote that Harwell will ‘forever be a true All Star’.
The musician was one of the founding members of Smash Mouth when the band first got together in 1994.
Skyrocketing to fame with catchy singles like Walkin’ On The Sun, Why Can’t We Be Friends, and All Star, Steve and the rest of Smash Mouth found global success when they were featured in the 2001 film Shrek.
In addition to All Star being featured prominently in the film, fans adored Smash Mouth’s cover of the Monkees classic hit I’m A Believer.
Serving as one of the only two constant members of the original Smash Mouth group until his retirement, Harwell encountered health and substance abuse problems after the band’s smashing success.
In 2013 the California-born singer was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a cluster of diseases that adversely affect the heart.
Following the disheartening diagnosis, the Rat Race star was also hit with a second medical setback — Wernicke encephalopathy.
The life-threatening neurological condition can cause of whole slew of negative symptoms, from confusion, difficulty walking, and hypothermia.
In 2021 the All Star singer sparked concern after he was seen slurring his speech while cursing and lashing out at audiences during the event in Bethel, New York.
Crowds suspected he was intoxicated during the concert which described as ‘the most chaotic show ever seen’ by an audience member.
The band also made headlines in 2020 with a concert at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota in August amid a time of high coronavirus rates.
Harwell’s camp previously said he was going to take a break to deal with ongoing health issues, as his agent told TMZ that the singer was dealing with cardiomyopathy and heart issues.
Harwell’s rep said that the singer was going to rest and adjust his medication.
By: BRIAN MARKS and OLIVIA JONES and KATHERINE STINSON
Originally published at Daily Mail
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