Biography
Steve Harwell, born Steven Scott Harwell on January 9, 1967, in Santa Clara, California, USA, formed the rock band Smash Mouth in 1994. Their debut album, Fush Yu Mang, featured the hit "Walkin' on the Sun" and a cover of War's "Why Can't We Be Friends?" In 1999, Smash Mouth released Astro Lounge, which included the popular tracks "All Star" and "Then the Morning Comes," both of which achieved success on the Billboard charts.
In 2001, Harwell made a cameo appearance in the American comedy film Rat Race. That same year, the band released the album Smash Mouth, featuring a cover of The Monkees' "I'm a Believer." The album's release was delayed due to the death of Harwell's son, Presley Scott Harwell.
Harwell contributed the song "Getting Better" to the 2003 film The Cat in the Hat and performed the end credits song "I Wanna Be Like You" for Disney's The Jungle Book 2, also released in 2003. He composed two songs, "Beside Myself" and "Everything Just Crazy," for the 2013 South Korean animated film Pororo, the Racing Adventure.
During a 2016 live concert tour, Harwell collapsed on stage and was hospitalized but later recovered. He continued touring until 2023, with one of his final performances taking place at the Scera Shell concert in Orem, Utah, on May 27, 2023. Steve Harwell passed away from liver failure on September 4, 2023, in Boise, Idaho.
